Guinea worm
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- A parasitic nematode: A long, thin parasitic roundworm (Dracunculus medinensis) found in parts of Africa and Asia, which infects humans and other vertebrates.
- The disease caused by this worm: A painful and debilitating infection contracted by drinking water containing tiny crustaceans infected with the worm's larvae.
Examples of Usage
- Noun (the parasite):
- The guinea worm can grow up to a meter in length inside a human host.
- Efforts to eradicate the guinea worm have been largely successful.
- Noun (the disease):
- He was suffering from guinea worm, which caused a painful blister on his leg.
- The campaign aims to eliminate the transmission of guinea worm.
Advanced Usage
- "Guinea worm disease": The formal medical term for the infection, also known as dracunculiasis.
- The World Health Organization has targeted guinea worm disease for eradication.
- "Guinea worm eradication": Refers to the international public health effort to eliminate the parasite.
- Guinea worm eradication is a major goal of global health organizations.
Variants and Related Words
- Dracunculiasis (n): The medical term for guinea worm disease.
- Dracunculus medinensis (n): The scientific (Latin) name for the guinea worm parasite.
Synonyms
- Fiery serpent (archaic/historical): An old descriptive name for the guinea worm, referring to the burning sensation it causes.
- Medina worm: Another historical name derived from the city of Medina.
Related Phrases
- Guinea worm infection: Another way to refer to the disease.
- Preventing guinea worm infection relies on providing clean drinking water.
Noun
- parasitic roundworm of India and Africa that lives in the abdomen or beneath the skin of humans and other vertebrates
- a painful and debilitating infestation contracted by drinking stagnant water contaminated with Guinea worm larvae that can mature inside a human's abdomen until the worm emerges through a painful blister in the person's skin