Sparganosis

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A parasitic infection caused by the larvae of certain tapeworms, characterized by the migration and growth of the larvae in human tissues leading to swelling and possible inflammation
2. A disease resulting from the invasion of tissue by tapeworm larvae, often causing lumps under the skin or in organs as the parasites move and develop
3. An infestation by the immature form of tapeworms that enters the body and migrates through tissues, potentially producing cyst-like formations and inducing local tissue reactions

Etymology: Sparganosis is a medical term for infection by the larval stage of a tapeworm, and its name comes from a Greek word meaning "to be full to bursting." The Greek verb "spargaō" describes something swollen or distended, and the related noun "sparganōsis" was used in ancient Greek for swelling, a fitting description of the way the larvae swell tissue in the body. The word therefore records what the infection looks like rather than the worm itself. Its form reflects that ancient root with a Latinized or scientific ending. The Greek noun "sparganōsis" passed into modern medical vocabulary, where variant spellings such as "spargosis" also circulate. The same Greek root gives "sparganum," the name for the tapeworm larva itself, so the disease is named after the swollen parasite that causes it.

Synonyms: parasitic infection, tapeworm infection, sparganum infection, plerocercoid infection, sparganum infestation