Helminths Health Dictionary

The male copulatory organ in helminths.... cirrus

A human or other living animal, including arthropods, affording under natural conditions subsistence or lodgement to an infectious agent. Some protozoa and helminths pass through successive stages in alternate hosts of different species. Hosts in which the parasite attains maturity or passes its sexual stage are primary or definitive hosts; those in which the parasite is in a larval or asexual state are secondary or intermediate hosts Host preference The preference of a mosquito (or other parasite or micropredator) for a particular type of host, human or animal. (To be distinguished from simple readiness to feed on a given type of host when no other is available).... host

A group of antifungal drugs active against a wide range of fungi and yeasts (see FUNGAL AND YEAST INFECTIONS). Some are also e?ective against bacteria and HELMINTHS. Econazole, clotrimazole, ketoconazole, ?uconazole and itraconazole are examples: the drugs are given by mouth or externally as creams.... imidazoles

An organism, chiefly a microorganism but including helminths, that is capable of producing infection or infectious disease.... infectious agent

A plant or animal which lives upon or within or upon another living organism at whose expense it obtains some advantage without compensation. By convention, human parasitology covers the study of the protozoa, helminths and arthropods infecting humans.... parasite

Micro-organisms that cause diseases, parasitising plants, animals and humans (see PARASITE). Some organisms are frequently PATHOGENIC, whereas others rarely cause disease. Opportunistic pathogens are those which rarely cause serious infection in healthy people but can do so in patients with weakened immune systems (immunocompromised – see IMMUNITY). Pathogens include BACTERIA, viruses (see VIRUS), prions (see PRION), fungi (see FUNGUS), PROTOZOA and metazoa (multicellular microorganisms called HELMINTHS or worms). The pathogenicity of an organism is called its virulence, which is measured by the number of organisms required to cause disease. The 50 per cent of lethal dose (LD50) is the quantity of a particular pathogen needed to cause infection in half of the hosts invaded.... pathogens

1. n. any drug or chemical agent used to destroy parasitic worms (helminths), e.g. tapeworms, roundworms, and flukes, and/or remove them from the body. Anthelmintics include *albendazole, *mebendazole, *niclosamide, and *praziquantel. 2. adj. having the power to destroy or eliminate helminths.... anthelmintic

n. the diseased condition resulting from an infestation with parasitic worms (helminths).... helminthiasis

(roundworm) n. any one of a large group of worms having an unsegmented cylindrical body, tapering at both ends. This distinguishes nematodes from other *helminths. Nematodes occur either as free-living forms in the sea, fresh water, and soil or as parasites of plants, animals, and humans. *Hookworms and *threadworms infest the alimentary canal. *Filariae are found in the lymphatic tissues. The *guinea worm and *Onchocerca affect connective tissue. Some nematodes (e.g. threadworms) are transmitted from host to host by the ingestion of eggs; others (e.g. *Wuchereria) by the bite of a bloodsucking insect.... nematode