toxocariasis: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
Low (Specialist/Medical)Technical/Medical
Quick answer
What does “toxocariasis” mean?
A parasitic infection caused by roundworms of the genus Toxocara, typically transmitted from animals to humans.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A parasitic infection caused by roundworms of the genus Toxocara, typically transmitted from animals to humans.
A zoonotic disease where larvae of Toxocara worms migrate through human tissues, often causing visceral larva migrans or ocular larva migrans, with symptoms ranging from mild fever to serious eye or organ damage.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant lexical differences; spelling and pronunciation are consistent. Both variants use the same technical term.
Connotations
Purely clinical/medical term with no regional connotative differences.
Frequency
Equally rare in both general contexts; appears primarily in veterinary, medical, and public health literature.
Grammar
How to Use “toxocariasis” in a Sentence
Patient + present with + toxocariasisDiagnose + toxocariasis + in + patientTreat + toxocariasis + with + anthelminticsVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “toxocariasis” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The patient was toxocariased as a child. (rare/technical)
American English
- The child likely toxocariased after playing in contaminated soil. (rare/technical)
adverb
British English
- The infection progressed toxocariasisly. (extremely rare/constructed)
American English
- The disease presented toxocariasisly with ocular symptoms. (extremely rare/constructed)
adjective
British English
- The toxocarial larvae were identified in the biopsy.
American English
- Toxocarial serology came back positive.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Not used.
Academic
Used in medical, veterinary, parasitology, and public health research.
Everyday
Virtually never used in casual conversation.
Technical
Core term in clinical medicine, parasitology, veterinary medicine, and epidemiology.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “toxocariasis”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “toxocariasis”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “toxocariasis”
- Misspelling as 'toxocarasis' (missing 'i'), 'toxocariosis', or 'toxicariasis'. Incorrectly using it for other worm infections like ascariasis.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, human-to-human transmission does not occur. It is a zoonosis acquired from environments contaminated with eggs from infected animals.
Symptoms vary. Visceral toxocariasis may cause fever, cough, abdominal pain, and eosinophilia. Ocular toxocariasis can cause vision impairment, eye inflammation, or a retinal granuloma.
Anthelmintic medications like albendazole or mebendazole are used, sometimes alongside anti-inflammatory steroids, especially for ocular involvement.
Young children (due to geophagia/pica and playing in contaminated areas), pet owners, and individuals in areas with poor control of stray dog/cat populations.
A parasitic infection caused by roundworms of the genus Toxocara, typically transmitted from animals to humans.
Toxocariasis is usually technical/medical in register.
Toxocariasis: in British English it is pronounced /ˌtɒksəʊkəˈraɪəsɪs/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˌtɑːksoʊkəˈraɪəsɪs/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “None (highly technical term)”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
TOXic OCARina (a worm-like wind instrument) causes an illnASIS → Toxocariasis.
Conceptual Metaphor
INVASION (parasites as invaders), CONTAMINATION (soil/animal faeces as source), MIGRATION (larvae traveling through body).
Practice
Quiz
What is the primary route of transmission for human toxocariasis?