n.
Pronunciation: ˌ his-t ə -plaz- ' m ō -s ə s
Function: noun
Etymology: New Latin, from Histoplasma, genus of fungi
Date: 1907
: a respiratory disease with symptoms like those of influenza that is caused by a fungus ( Histoplasma capsulatum ) and is marked by benign involvement of lymph nodes of the trachea and bronchi or by severe progressive generalized involvement of the lymph nodes and tissues (as of the liver or spleen) rich in macrophages