What does filariasis mean?
Filariasis is a parasitic disease caused by infection with slender, thread-like roundworms known as filarial nematodes, which are transmitted to humans through the bites of infected insects, most commonly mosquitoes. The best-known form, lymphatic filariasis, occurs when adult worms take up residence in the lymphatic vessels, causing inflammation, swelling, and in chronic cases the dramatic enlargement of limbs or genitals called elephantiasis. Other forms affect the skin or eyes, including river blindness. The word derives from the Latin filum, meaning thread, a nod to the worms' delicate shape. Largely a term of medicine and public health rather than casual conversation, filariasis carries serious connotations of tropical disease, disability, and poverty, yet it is preventable and treatable through mass drug administration programs championed worldwide.
nounA parasitic disease of humans and animals caused by thread-like filarial nematode worms, transmitted by blood-feeding insects such as mosquitoes. It chiefly affects the lymphatic system and can lead to severe swelling and disfigurement.
- Any human or animal disease caused by infection with filarial nematode worms, especially lymphatic filariasis affecting the lymphatic system.
"Health workers launched a mass drug administration campaign to eliminate lymphatic filariasis in the region."
"The WHO has targeted the global elimination of lymphatic filariasis as a public health problem."
"Repeated mosquito bites in endemic areas led to his diagnosis of bancroftian filariasis."
Rarely pluralized in practice; when referring to multiple types of the disease, writers more often use phrases like 'types of filariasis' than the plural form.
"The three major filariases that affect humans are all spread by insect vectors."
One tiny mosquito bite can deliver thread-thin worms that live in your body for years — filariasis infects over 50 million people worldwide.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of filariasis
The word filariasis was coined in the nineteenth century from New Latin Filaria, the genus name of the thread-like parasitic worms responsible for the disease. Filaria itself derives from the Latin filum, meaning thread, which also gives English words such as filament and filiform. The suffix -iasis, borrowed through Latin from Greek, denotes an abnormal or diseased condition, so filariasis literally means 'the condition of having filarial worms'.
Related word forms
How filariasis is actually used
A technical term used mainly in medical, veterinary, and public-health contexts rather than everyday speech. It is often qualified by the type, as in 'lymphatic filariasis' or 'bancroftian filariasis', since different filarial species cause distinct diseases.
Easily confused with filariasis
Filaria refers to the parasitic worm itself, whereas filariasis is the disease those worms cause.
Elephantiasis is a symptom or late-stage complication of lymphatic filariasis, not the name of the underlying infection.