chigoe

Thân thiện

A doctor examines a patient's foot for a chigoe.

Definition

Noun: 1. A small tropical flea: A tiny parasitic insect found in tropical and subtropical regions. 2. A burrowing parasite: Specifically, the fertile female of this species burrows into the skin of a host (which can include humans and other animals) to lay eggs, causing irritation and sometimes infection.

Usage Examples

• The chigoe is also commonly known as a jigger or sand flea.
• Travelers are advised to wear shoes on the beach to avoid getting a chigoe infestation.
• The main medical concern is the female chigoe burrowing under the skin.

Advanced Usage

• Technical/Medical Context: In medical or entomological texts, precisely refers to the species .
  • The patient was diagnosed with tungiasis, an infection caused by the chigoe flea.

Variants and Related Words

• Chigoe flea: The full common name.
• Jigger: A common synonym, though this term can be confused with other insects.
• Sand flea: Another common synonym, though this is a broader term for various small crustaceans and insects.
• Tunga penetrans: The scientific (Latin) name for the species.

Synonyms

• Jigger
• Sand flea (in this specific parasitic context)
• Burrowing flea

Notes on Meaning

• The word chigoe specifically denotes the parasitic insect itself. The painful lesion or condition it causes is medically known as tungiasis.

Học thuật

Noun

1. small tropical flea; the fertile female burrows under the skin of the host including humans

Từ đồng nghĩa

• chigger
• chigoe flea
• Tunga penetrans