cytoplasmic vesicle osmiophilic body GO:0044310 jl 2010-02-18T03:18:32Z A membrane-bounded vesicle found predominantly in Plasmodium female gametocytes, that becomes progressively more abundant as the gametocyte reaches full maturity. These vesicles lie beneath the subpellicular membrane of the gametocyte, and the release of their contents into the parasitophorous vacuole has been postulated to aid in the escape of gametocytes from the erythrocyte after ingestion by the mosquito. cellular_component