filaria

American  

[fi-lair-ee-uh] / fɪˈlɛər i ə /

noun

plural

filariae

1. any small, threadlike roundworm of the family Filariidae and related families, carried as a larva by mosquitoes and parasitic when adult in the blood or tissues of vertebrates.

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filaria British  

/ fɪˈlɛərɪə /

noun

1. any parasitic nematode worm of the family Filariidae , living in the blood and tissues of vertebrates and transmitted by insects: the cause of filariasis

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filaria Scientific  

/ fə-lâr′ē-ə /

plural

filariae

1. Any of various slender, threadlike nematode worms of the superfamily Filarioidea that are parasitic in vertebrates and are often transmitted as larvae by mosquitoes and other biting insects. The adult form lives in the blood and lymphatic tissues and can cause inflammation and obstruction of lymphatic vessels.

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Other Word Forms

• filarial adjective

Etymology

Origin of filaria

< New Latin (1787), equivalent to Latin fīl ( um ) thread + -āria -aria

Example Sentences

In humans, the adult female filaria worm produces thousands of baby or larval worms that spread throughout the body.

From Reuters • Feb. 9, 2010

The researchers said closantel, used to fight liver fluke in cattle and sheep, showed promise at disrupting the life cycle of the filaria worm.

From Reuters • Feb. 9, 2010

Thus far Government sanitary brigades have only sized up the enemy�a kind of filaria or threadworm, whose eggs are spread from victim to victim by gnats.

From Time Magazine Archive

It sucks a sleeper's blood, and with it some filaria larvae.

From Time Magazine Archive

The elephantiasis due to filaria is spread by the agency of mosquitoes, in whose bodies the intermediate stage is passed.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 3 "Electrostatics" to "Engis" by Various