n. a genus of wormlike arthropods occurring mainly in tropical Africa and India. The legless adults are parasites in the lungs of snakes. The eggs, which are ejected with the snake’s bronchial secretions, may be accidentally swallowed by humans. The larva bores through the gut wall and usually migrates to the liver, where it develops into a nymph (see porocephaliasis).
Subjects: Medicine and Health.