Bacterium from which the cell wall has been removed but that has not lysed. ... (18 Nov 1997) ... 
(sfēr´o-plast) a membrane-bound, spherical cell that results after partial or complete removal of the cell wall from a bacterial, yeast, or fungal cell; it is dependent for its integrity on an isotonic or hypertonic medium.
A spherical, osmotically sensitive cell derived from a bacterium by loss of some but not all of the rigid wall layer. If all the rigid wall layer had been completely lost, the structure is called a protoplast.Bacterium from which the cell wall has been removed but that has not lysed.
Type: Term Pronunciation: sfē′rō-plast Definitions: 1. A bacterial cell from which the rigid cell wall has been incompletely removed. The bacterium loses its characteristic shape and becomes round.