xenodiagnosis

[zen-uh-dahy-uhg-noh-sis, zee-nuh-]

noun

Medicine/Medical.

1. a method of diagnosing certain diseases caused by insects, ticks, or other vectors, by allowing uninfected vectors to feed on the patient and later examining them for infections.

Other Word Forms

• xenodiagnostic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of xenodiagnosis¹

First recorded in 1925–30; xeno- + diagnosis

Example Sentences

The main objective of the study was to see if this type of xenodiagnosis is safe and appropriate for humans, and the answer seems to be yes since the major complaint from subjects was mild itching, said Justin D. Radolf of the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington.

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But the new report, published in Clinical Infectious Diseases, describes the first attempt to use xenodiagnosis for Lyme disease.

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In animal studies, researchers have successfully used "xenodiagnosis," or diagnosis with another animal, to detect the signs of a persistent Lyme infection in the blood.

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