Medical Dictionary

echinococcus

noun echi·no·coc·cus \-nə-ˈkäk-əs\

Medical Definition of ECHINOCOCCUS

1
capitalized :  a genus of tapeworms of the family Taeniidae that alternate a minute adult living as a harmless commensal in the intestine of dogs and other carnivores with a hydatid larva invading tissues especially of the liver of cattle, sheep, swine, and humans, and acting as a serious often fatal pathogen
2
plural echi·no·coc·ci \-ˈkäk-ˌ(s)ī, -ˈkäk-(ˌ)(s)ē\ :  any tapeworm of the genus Echinococcus; also :  hydatid 1

Illustration of ECHINOCOCCUS

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