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Glite Dictionary
🧵 Thread-like 🪱 A worm larva
filariform

filariform

9.9
A stage of a parasitic worm that can enter the skin and cause infection
  • noun
  • /ˌfɪlərɪˈfɔrm/
  • Specialized
translation icon : larva filariforme
  • Human infection occurs when filariform larvae penetrate the intact skin and enter the venous microcirculation via the lymphatics.
  • filariform larvae

Examples

  • In the immunosuppressed host, severe infection can occur in which the filariform larvae disseminate widely, leading to fatal sepsis, meningitis, and ARDS.

    Academic text (2007)

  • The filariform larvae of the parasite can penetrate the skin of the host during infection.

  • Doctors observed that the filariform stage of the roundworm is critical for establishing infection.

  • When studying parasites, scientists noted how the filariform larvae are designed to invade their hosts.

Surface Forms

filariform singular
filariforms plural

Morphology

filariform = filaria (semi-transparent) = filari + form

The word is transparently 'filaria' (the worm) + '-form' (in the form of), but the specialized sense 'infective third-stage larva' is a technical biological usage not deducible by all learners.

Etymology

The word filariform comes from the Latin filum 'thread' and the part -form 'shape'. It literally means 'thread-shaped one', which helps remember that this name is used for the thin, infective larva of some parasitic worms that can enter the body.