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

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

From Time Magazine Archive

Another type of filaria, mosquito-borne, is widely prevalent in the West Indies, causes elephantiasis, grotesque swelling of the arms, legs, buttocks, sexual organs.

From Time Magazine Archive

State the character of the lesions produced by the filaria medinensis.

From Essentials of Diseases of the Skin Including the Syphilodermata Arranged in the Form of Questions and Answers Prepared Especially for Students of Medicine by Stelwagon, Henry Weightman