''Isospora'' is a genus of internal

parasite Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson has ...

s in the subclass

Coccidia Coccidia (Coccidiasina) are a subclass of microscopic, spore-forming, single-celled obligate intracellular parasites belonging to the apicomplexan class Conoidasida. As obligate intracellular parasites, they must live and reproduce within an a ...

. It is responsible for the condition

isosporiasis Isosporiasis, also known as cystoisosporiasis, is a human intestinal disease caused by the parasite ''Cystoisospora belli'' (previously known as ''Isospora belli''). It is found worldwide, especially in tropical and subtropical areas. Infection of ...

, which causes acute, non-bloody diarrhoea in immunocompromised individuals.

Taxonomy

At least 248 species were originally described in this genus. For instance, the

house sparrow The house sparrow (''Passer domesticus'') is a bird of the sparrow family Passeridae, found in most parts of the world. It is a small bird that has a typical length of and a mass of . Females and young birds are coloured pale brown and grey, a ...

has 12 species of ''Isospora''. However, most species are little studied, and some authors doubt whether all should be recognized as distinct species. In 2005, all former ''Isospora'' species that infect mammalian hosts were reclassified as members of the genus '' Cystoisospora'', a member of the Sarcocystidae family.

References

External links

* Apicomplexa genera Conoidasida {{Apicomplexa-stub