Exophilic
Exophilic
Exophilic (pronunciation: ex-o-phil-ic) is a term used in various scientific fields, including medicine, to describe organisms or behaviors that are adapted to or occur in environments outside their native or usual ones.
Etymology
The term "exophilic" is derived from the Greek words "exo", meaning outside, and "philos", meaning loving. It is used to describe organisms that prefer to live or occur outside their usual or native environments.
Related Terms
- Endophilic: This term is used to describe organisms that prefer to live or occur inside their usual or native environments. It is the opposite of exophilic.
- Exophytic: This term is used to describe growths that project outward from the surface of an organ or tissue.
- Exogenous: This term is used to describe something that originates from outside an organism or system.
- Ecology: This is the scientific study of the interactions between organisms and their environments, which includes both their physical surroundings and the other organisms that share those environments.
Usage in Medicine
In medicine, the term "exophilic" is often used to describe parasites, such as certain species of mosquitoes, that prefer to feed or reproduce outside human dwellings. This behavior has significant implications for the transmission of diseases like malaria and dengue fever.
For example, the Anopheles mosquito, which is a primary vector of malaria, includes both exophilic and endophilic species. The exophilic species tend to bite outdoors and rest outside before and after feeding, which can make them more difficult to control with indoor insecticide treatments.
See Also
- Vector (epidemiology): In epidemiology, a vector is any agent, often an insect or other arthropod, that carries and transmits an infectious pathogen into another living organism.
- Parasitology: This is the study of parasites, their hosts, and the relationship between them.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Exophilic
- Wikipedia's article - Exophilic
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