Blast Health Dictionary

A deep (systemic) mycotic infection caused by dimorphic fungi. North American Blastomycosis caused by Blastomyces dermatitidis in N. America and tropical Africa while Paracoccidioides braziliensis causes S. American Blastomycosis in South America.... blastomycosis

A cell cluster that develops from a fertilized ovum and grows into an embryo (see fertilization).... blastocyst

n. any zone of embryonic tissue that is still differentiating and growing into a particular organ. The term is usually applied to the tissue that develops into the kidneys and gonads.... blastema

combining form denoting a germ cell or embryo. Example: blastogenesis (early development of an embryo).... blasto

n. the fluid-filled cavity that develops within the *blastocyst. The cavity increases the surface area of the embryo and thus improves its ability to absorb nutrients and oxygen.... blastocoele

n. any of the cells produced by *cleavage of the zygote, comprising the earliest stages of embryonic development until the formation of the *blastocyst. Blastomeres divide repeatedly without growth and so decrease in size.... blastomere

n. the opening that forms as a result of invagination of the surface layer of the early embryo (*gastrula). It is very much reduced in humans, in which it gives rise to the archenteric canal (see archenteron).... blastopore

n. an early stage of the embryonic development of many animals. The equivalent stage in mammals (including humans) is the *blastocyst.... blastula