Meront

Meront is an asexual reproductive stage in the life cycles of certain protozoan parasites, notably within the phylum Apicomplexa. During merogony, a single infected cell gives rise to many daughter cells called merozoites. The meront may be internal to a host cell, and after maturation the meront undergoes segmentation and release of merozoites, which then invade new host cells.

Terminology varies: many texts use schizont to denote a mature, multi-nucleated meront, and to describe the process as schizogony. In other sources, meront is used more broadly to refer to the entire asexual replication stage, with schizont as a particular type of meront that has undergone multiple nuclear divisions before segmentation.

Merogony occurs in several stages of Plasmodium spp. (the malaria parasites) during liver-stage (exoerythrocytic schizogony) and erythrocytic schizogony, as well as in coccidia such as Eimeria and Toxoplasma. In these organisms, the meront develops within host cells, enlarges, and divides to produce hundreds or thousands of merozoites, which then infect additional cells and continue the cycle. The release of merozoites contributes to tissue damage and disease symptoms.

Although the term is primarily used in parasitology, it is important to consult specific glossaries, as the use of meront vs schizont can vary among textbooks and species.