screwworm

screwworm
/skrooh"werrm'/, n.
the larva of any of certain flies of the genus Callitroga, which sometimes infests wounds and the nose and navel of domestic animals and humans.
[1875-80, Amer.; SCREW + WORM]

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Any of several North and South American blowfly species named for the screwlike appearance of the larva's body, which is ringed with small spines.

Screwworms attack livestock and other animals, including humans. The true screwworm (Cochliomyia hominivorax) and the secondary screwworm (Callitroga macellaria) develop in decaying flesh; they may also attack healthy tissue. Each female deposits 200–400 eggs near an open wound. The larvae burrow into the tissue and, when mature, drop to the ground to pupate. Severe infestations (myiasis) may kill the affected animal.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • screwworm — ☆ screwworm [skro͞o′wʉrm΄ ] n. the larva of an American blowfly (Cochliomyia hominivorax) that infests wounds, and the nostrils, navel, etc. of animals, often causing illness …   English World dictionary

  • screwworm — noun The larva of the fly Cochliomyia hominivorax (new world screwworm) or Chrysomya bezziana (old word screwworm). The larva can be parasitic in humans and animals and are distinctive in eating living flesh of mammals unlike most maggots which… …   Wiktionary

  • screwworm — noun Date: 1879 1. a blowfly (Cochliomyia hominivorax) of the warmer parts of America whose larva develops in sores or wounds or in the nostrils of mammals including humans with serious or sometimes fatal results; especially its larva 2. any of… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • screwworm — screw·worm skrü .wərm n 1) either of two dipteran flies of the genus Cochliomyia: a) one (C. hominivorax) of the warmer parts of America whose larva develops in sores or wounds or in the nostrils of mammals including humans with serious or… …   Medical dictionary

  • screwworm — /ˈskruwɜm/ (say skroohwerm) noun the larva of the screwworm fly …  

  • screwworm fly — n the adult of a screwworm called also screwfly …   Medical dictionary

  • screwworm fly — noun : screwfly * * * the adult screwworm. Also called screw fly. [1905 10; Amer.] * * * screwworm fly, a blowfly that deposits its eggs in the sores of animals, the eggs developing into tiny larvae which eat into the wound. The screwworm fly… …   Useful english dictionary

  • screwworm fly — the adult screwworm. Also called screw fly. [1905 10; Amer.] * * * …   Universalium

  • screwworm — n. (Zoology) larva of the blowfly (infests humans and animals and spreads disease) …   English contemporary dictionary

  • screwworm — screw•worm [[t]ˈskruˌwɜrm[/t]] n. ent the larva of a blow fly, Cochliomyia macellaria, that is a pest of livestock …   From formal English to slang

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