microgamonts

Microgamonts are the male gametocyte stage in the sexual cycle of certain apicomplexan parasites, most notably Plasmodium species that cause malaria and related coccidia. In these organisms, sexual development produces distinct male and female gamonts: the microgamont (male) and the macrogametocyte (female). After maturation, the microgamont becomes activated in the appropriate environment, typically the gut of the insect vector, and undergoes exflagellation to produce several microgametes, which are motile, sperm-like cells.

Fertilization occurs when one or more microgametes fertilize a macrogamete to form a zygote. The zygote then develops into an ookinete, which traverses the gut epithelium and forms an oocyst. The oocyst produces sporozoites that migrate to the vector’s salivary glands, completing the cycle and enabling transmission to a new host.

Terminology can vary across literature: some sources use microgamont and microgametocyte interchangeably, while others distinguish microgamont as the mature male cell prior to microgamete production. Regardless of naming, the microgamont represents a key male component of the parasite’s sexual reproduction and transmission biology.