What does Parasites mean?

Definitions for Parasites
par·a·sites

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word Parasites.


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Wikipedia

  1. parasites

    Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson has characterised parasites as "predators that eat prey in units of less than one". Parasites include single-celled protozoans such as the agents of malaria, sleeping sickness, and amoebic dysentery; animals such as hookworms, lice, mosquitoes, and vampire bats; fungi such as honey fungus and the agents of ringworm; and plants such as mistletoe, dodder, and the broomrapes. There are six major parasitic strategies of exploitation of animal hosts, namely parasitic castration, directly transmitted parasitism (by contact), trophically-transmitted parasitism (by being eaten), vector-transmitted parasitism, parasitoidism, and micropredation. One major axis of classification concerns invasiveness: an endoparasite lives inside the host's body; an ectoparasite lives outside, on the host's surface. Like predation, parasitism is a type of consumer–resource interaction, but unlike predators, parasites, with the exception of parasitoids, are typically much smaller than their hosts, do not kill them, and often live in or on their hosts for an extended period. Parasites of animals are highly specialised, and reproduce at a faster rate than their hosts. Classic examples include interactions between vertebrate hosts and tapeworms, flukes, the malaria-causing Plasmodium species, and fleas. Parasites reduce host fitness by general or specialised pathology, from parasitic castration to modification of host behaviour. Parasites increase their own fitness by exploiting hosts for resources necessary for their survival, in particular by feeding on them and by using intermediate (secondary) hosts to assist in their transmission from one definitive (primary) host to another. Although parasitism is often unambiguous, it is part of a spectrum of interactions between species, grading via parasitoidism into predation, through evolution into mutualism, and in some fungi, shading into being saprophytic. People have known about parasites such as roundworms and tapeworms since ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome. In early modern times, Antonie van Leeuwenhoek observed Giardia lamblia in his microscope in 1681, while Francesco Redi described internal and external parasites including sheep liver fluke and ticks. Modern parasitology developed in the 19th century. In human culture, parasitism has negative connotations. These were exploited to satirical effect in Jonathan Swift's 1733 poem "On Poetry: A Rhapsody", comparing poets to hyperparasitical "vermin". In fiction, Bram Stoker's 1897 Gothic horror novel Dracula and its many later adaptations featured a blood-drinking parasite. Ridley Scott's 1979 film Alien was one of many works of science fiction to feature a parasitic alien species.

U.S. National Library of Medicine

  1. Parasites

    Invertebrate organisms that live on or in another organism (the host), and benefit at the expense of the other. Traditionally excluded from definition of parasites are pathogenic BACTERIA; FUNGI; VIRUSES; and PLANTS; though they may live parasitically.

Suggested Resources

  1. parasites

    Song lyrics by parasites -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by parasites on the Lyrics.com website.

Anagrams for Parasites »

  1. aspirates

  2. pastieras

  3. satrapies

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of Parasites in Chaldean Numerology is: 1

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of Parasites in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9

Examples of Parasites in a Sentence

  1. David Mabey:

    The way to prevent this is to encourage people to wear shoes. ... There are a lot of parasites you can get from not wearing shoes, once your foot is swollen, there's not much that can be done.

  2. Olivo Miotto:

    The speed at which these resistant malaria parasites have spread in Southeast Asia is very worrying, other drugs may be effective at the moment but the situation is extremely fragile and this study highlights that urgent action is needed.

  3. Larry Hardiman:

    The word 'politics' is derived from the word 'poly', meaning 'many', and the word 'ticks', meaning 'blood sucking parasites'.

  4. Kathleen Wilson:

    The coolness of water will make a swimmer less aware of a growing sunburn, while reflection of sunlight is more apparent on the beach, it can occur in the water as well. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends reapplying sunscreen at least every two hours to remain protected or immediately after a swim or excessive sweating occurs. For long-distance swimmers, re-applying sunscreen can be impossible once it wears off, so using an alternative like Balmex can be necessary, said Wilson. Traditionally used to treat diaper rash, Wilson said the key ingredient of zinc oxide makes Balmex a useful sunscreen. Its stickiness and adherence to the skin for lengthy periods provides swimmers with adequate sun protection, she said. Exposure to bacteria, parasites Swimmers may be unaware of the dangers of toxic algae, bacterial growth and parasites that thrive in warmer waters. There's also an extremely rare risk of exposure to Naegleria fowleri, a deadly brain-eating amoeba found in bodies of warm freshwater.

  5. Simone Pika:

    Self-medication — where individuals use plant parts or non-nutritional substances to combat pathogens or parasites — has been observed across multiple animal species including insects, reptiles, birds and mammals, current Biology.Bears two closest living relatives, chimpanzees and bonobos, for instance, swallow leaves of plants with anthelmintic( antiparasitic) properties and chew bitter leaves that have chemical properties to kill intestinal parasites.

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"Parasites." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/Parasites>.

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    a substance used to produce fermentation in dough or a liquid
    A sweep
    B brasserie
    C leaven
    D pluck

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