Definition of "filaria" [fi•la•ri•a•‖Fi]

• Any of various slender, threadlike nematode worms of the superfamily Filarioidea that are parasitic in vertebrates and are often transmitted as larvae by mosquitos and other biting insects. The adult form lives in the blood and lymphatic tissues, causing inflammation and obstruction that can lead to elephantiasis. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "D. filaria, the large lungworm of sheep and goats, may occasionally be present and be a cause of a clinical pneumonia."
• "Note: where Loiasis is endemic (West Africa), all treatment with diethylcarbamazine, should commence with 3 mg/kg x 2 days (protocole for Loiasis) whatever form of filaria is being treated."
• "For example, filaria is widespread in the project area, including both river blindness and loa-loa."