Wiktionary
n. (context biology English) The very small larva of a filarial worm
Wikipedia
The microfilaria (plural microfilariae, sometimes abbreviated mf) is an early stage in the life cycle of certain parasitic nematodes in the family Onchocercidae. In these species, the adults live in a tissue or the circulatory system of vertebrates (the "definitive hosts"). They release microfilariae into the bloodstream of the vertebrate host. The microfilariae are taken up by blood-feeding arthropod vectors (the " intermediate hosts"). In the intermediate host the microfilariae develop into infective larvae that can be transmitted to a new vertebrate host.
The presence of microfilariae in the host bloodstream is called "microfilaraemia". The success of filariasis eradication programs is typically gauged by the reduction in numbers of circulating microfilariae in infested individuals within a geographic area.
Usage examples of "microfilaria".
Under high power in the Zeiss, the actual microfilariae could be seen.
The treatment mainly killed the microfilariae, preventing them from becoming adults, and it rendered the adult worms sterile.
These dogs had not been tested since Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, fourteen months ago and it takes as long as one year after initial introduction of the microfilariae into the bloodstream before they become adults and produce the microfilariae in quantities large enough to be detected in microscopic examinations.
These dogs had not been tested since Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, fourteen months ago and it takes as long as one year after initial introduction of the microfilariae into the bloodstream before they become adults and produce the microfilariae in quantities large enough to be detected in microscopic examinations.