INFESTATION

Pronunciation (US):

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does infestation mean? 

• INFESTATION (noun)
  The noun INFESTATION has 2 senses:

1. the state of being invaded or overrun by parasites

2. a swarm of insects that attack plants

  Familiarity information: INFESTATION used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• INFESTATION (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The state of being invaded or overrun by parasites

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Hypernyms ("infestation" is a kind of...):

fullness (the condition of being filled to capacity)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "infestation"):

coccidiosis ((veterinary medicine) infestation with coccidia)

trichuriasis (infestation by a roundworm; common in tropical areas with poor sanitation)

trombiculiasis (infestation with chiggers)

lousiness; pediculosis (infestation with lice (Pediculus humanus) resulting in severe itching)

opisthorchiasis (infestation with flukes obtained from eating raw fish; common in eastern Asia)

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)

myiasis (infestation of the body by the larvae of flies (usually through a wound or other opening) or any disease resulting from such infestation)

helminthiasis (infestation of the body with parasitic worms)

echinococcosis; hydatid disease; hydatidosis (infestation with larval echinococci (tapeworms))

fascioliasis; fasciolosis (infestation with the liver fluke Fasciola hepatica; liver damage sometimes occurs; related to liver rot)

ascariasis (infestation of the human intestine with Ascaris roundworms)

acariasis; acaridiasis; acariosis (infestation with itch mites)

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)

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)

enterobiasis (an infestation with or a resulting infection caused by the pinworm Enterobius vermicularis; occurs especially in children)

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)

fasciolopsiasis (infestation with the large intestinal fluke Fasciolopsis buski; common in eastern Asia)

Derivation:

infest (invade in great numbers)

infest (occupy in large numbers or live on a host)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A swarm of insects that attack plants

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Synonyms:

infestation; plague

Context example:

a plague of grasshoppers

Hypernyms ("infestation" is a kind of...):

cloud; swarm (a group of many things in the air or on the ground)

Derivation:

infest (invade in great numbers)

infest (occupy in large numbers or live on a host)

 Context examples 

Infestation of the pubic hair by the pthirus pubis parasite which results in mild to intense itching and macular lesions.

(Pediculosis Pubis, NCI Thesaurus)

Medications used to treat lice and scabies infestations.

(Pediculicide, NCI Thesaurus)

A parasitic infection characterized by the infestation with worms, mainly in the intestine.

(Helminthiasis, NCI Thesaurus)

Anyone who has an active infestation should be treated.

(Head Lice, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Infestation by body lice causes intense itching.

(Human Body Louse, NCI Thesaurus)

To get rid of bedbugs: • Wash and dry bedding and clothing at high temperatures. • Use mattress, box spring, and pillow encasements to trap bedbugs and help detect infestations. • Use pesticides if needed.

(Bedbugs, Environmental Protection Agency)

Treatment for head lice is recommended for people with an active infestation.

(Head Lice, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)