Infestation

in·fest  (n-fst)

tr.v. in·fest·ed, in·fest·ing, in·fests

1. To inhabit or overrun in numbers or quantities large enough to be harmful, threatening, or obnoxious: rats infesting the sewers; streets that were infested with drugs.

2. To live as a parasite in or on: livestock that were infested with tapeworms.

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[Middle English infesten, to distress, from Old French infester, from Latin nfestre, from nfestus, hostile; see g^whedh- in Indo-European roots.]

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infes·tation n.

in·fester n.

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Infestation

acariasis

the condition of being infested by acarids or mites.

acaricide

a substance or preparation for killing mites or ticks.

miticide

a substance for killing mites. — miticidal, adj.

taeniacide, teniacide

an agent or preparation for killing tapeworms. — taeniacidal, teniacidal, adj.

taeniasis, teniasis

infestation by tapeworms.

vermination

the state or process of being infested with worms or vermin.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	infestation - the state of being invaded or overrun by parasites fascioliasis, fasciolosis - infestation with the liver fluke Fasciola hepatica; liver damage sometimes occurs; related to liver rot fasciolopsiasis - infestation with the large intestinal fluke Fasciolopsis buski; common in eastern Asia dracunculiasis, Guinea worm, Guinea worm disease - a painful and debilitating infestation contracted by drinking stagnant water contaminated with Guinea worm larvae that can mature inside a human's abdomen until the worm emerges through a painful blister in the person's skin enterobiasis - an infestation with or a resulting infection caused by the pinworm Enterobius vermicularis; occurs especially in children bilharzia, bilharziasis, schistosomiasis - an infestation with or a resulting infection caused by a parasite of the genus Schistosoma; common in the tropics and Far East; symptoms depend on the part of the body infected myositis trichinosa, trichiniasis, trichinosis - infestation by trichina larvae that are transmitted by eating inadequately cooked meat (especially pork); larvae migrate from the intestinal tract to the muscles where they become encysted fullness - the condition of being filled to capacity acariasis, acaridiasis, acariosis - infestation with itch mites ascariasis - infestation of the human intestine with Ascaris roundworms coccidiosis - (veterinary medicine) infestation with coccidia echinococcosis, hydatid disease, hydatidosis - infestation with larval echinococci (tapeworms) helminthiasis - infestation of the body with parasitic worms myiasis - infestation of the body by the larvae of flies (usually through a wound or other opening) or any disease resulting from such infestation onchocerciasis, river blindness - infestation with slender threadlike roundworms (filaria) deposited under the skin by the bite of black fleas; when the eyes are involved it can result in blindness; common in Africa and tropical America opisthorchiasis - infestation with flukes obtained from eating raw fish; common in eastern Asia lousiness, pediculosis - infestation with lice (Pediculus humanus) resulting in severe itching trombiculiasis - infestation with chiggers trichuriasis - infestation by a roundworm; common in tropical areas with poor sanitation
	2.	infestation - a swarm of insects that attack plants; "a plague of grasshoppers" plague swarm, cloud - a group of many things in the air or on the ground; "a swarm of insects obscured the light"; "clouds of blossoms"; "it discharged a cloud of spores"