A pre-laval parasitic worm of the family Onchocercidae, found in the vector and in the blood or tissue fluid of human host.
Infective larvae of some roundworms, usually produced in the host’s bloodstream.
The motile embryo of certain nematodes. The slender microfilariae, 150-300 μm in length, are commonly found in the circulating blood or lymph of patients suffering an infection with any of the filarial worms, e.g. Wuchereria, They mature into larvae, which are infective, within the body of a bloodsucking insect, such as a mosquito.
The embryos of filarial worms. Microfilariae are present in the blood and tissues of one infected with filariasis and are of importance in the diagnosis of filarial infections.
The juvenile stages of specific worm species. Microfilariae are generated by adult worms that have invaded a human or animal host, and these immature forms circulate within the blood or lymph. Their life cycle reaches fruition when they are ingested by mosquitoes or other insects that feed on infected individuals or animals. Inside the insect, they transform into larvae, and subsequently, when the insect bites another host, they are transmitted.
Microscopic analysis of blood samples can reveal the existence of microfilariae within the body.