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Veterinary Medicine vocabulary · Vaccination and Preventive Care

Parasite

Meaning in veterinary medicine, with examples

/ˈpærəsaɪt/nounCore term

In veterinary medicine, parasite means: An organism that lives on or inside an animal and feeds from it, such as fleas, ticks and mites on the outside or worms and protozoa on the inside.

In Turkish: parazit

How it is used

Vets divide them into external parasites (ectoparasites) and internal parasites (endoparasites) and speak of parasite control rather than one-off treatment. Owners usually name the parasite: fleas, ticks, worms.

Example sentences

  1. We recommend year-round parasite control for dogs that walk in the forest.

  2. The faecal test showed no internal parasites.

Common collocations

  • internal parasites
  • external parasites
  • parasite control
  • parasite burden
  • parasite treatment
  • fleaA small, wingless, jumping insect that lives on the skin of cats, dogs and other animals and feeds on their blood.
  • tickA small, eight-legged parasite related to spiders that attaches to the skin and feeds on blood. Ticks can spread diseases such as Lyme disease and babesiosis.
  • dewormingGiving an animal medicine to kill or remove internal worms such as roundworms, tapeworms and hookworms.
  • faecal sampleA small amount of an animal's droppings collected for laboratory tests, for example to look for worm eggs, bacteria or blood. US spelling: fecal.
  • zoonosisA disease that can pass between animals and people, such as rabies, brucellosis, ringworm or leptospirosis. The plural is zoonoses.

More terms: Vaccination and Preventive Care

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.