threadworm

views updated May 21 2018

threadworm (pinworm) Small roundworm of the phylum Aschelminthes. It is most common in moist tropical regions and resembles a short length of hair or thread. It may inhabit the intestines of human beings and other animals, but can live and breed freely in soil. Species Oxyurus vermicularis.

threadworm

views updated May 17 2018

threadworm (pinworm) (thred-werm) n. a parasitic nematode worm of the genus Enterobius (Oxyuris), which lives in the upper part of the human large intestine. Threadworms cause enterobiasis, a disease common in children throughout the world.

threadworm

views updated May 29 2018

thread·worm / ˈ[unvoicedth]redˌwərm/ • n. a very slender parasitic nematode worm, esp. a pinworm.