Merogony

Merogony is a form of asexual reproduction found in certain protozoan parasites of the phylum Apicomplexa, notably genera such as Plasmodium, Eimeria, and Toxoplasma. In merogony, a single parasite within a host cell undergoes multiple rounds of nuclear division (often termed schizogony) without immediate cytoplasmic division, followed by segmentation to produce many daughter cells called merozoites. The result is the release of numerous merozoites when the host cell ruptures, with each merozoite capable of invading new cells and continuing the infection.

Merogony occurs in tissue sites that vary by species. Hepatic merogony refers to liver-stage schizogony in malaria parasites, while erythrocytic merogony occurs within red blood cells. The number of merozoites produced can range from dozens to hundreds. After several cycles, some merozoites may differentiate into sexual forms (gametocytes), which can be taken up by a vector and lead to sexual reproduction and subsequent sporogony in the vector.

In some texts, merogony is used synonymously with schizogony to describe the asexual multiplication phase; in others, merogony is described as the broader process of producing merozoites through multiple fission, preceding the development of gametocytes. Merogony is central to the pathology and propagation of Apicomplexan infections and is a key point of intervention in disease control.