Cercarian

/sɜrˈkɛriən/ adjective

Definition

Relating to or being a cercaria; characteristic of the larval stage of parasitic flatworms that have tail appendages.

Etymology

From cercaria plus the suffix -an, an alternative adjectival ending to -al. Both cercarian and cercarial are used interchangeably in scientific literature.

Kelly Says

Cercarian dermatitis—also called 'swimmer's itch'—happens when cercariae try to burrow into human skin but can't complete their lifecycle, so your immune system goes haywire; it's a weird biological mismatch between parasite and host.

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