echinococcus

< /ɪˌkaɪ noʊˈkɒk saɪ/.

1. any of a number of tapeworms of the genus Echinococcus whose larvae are parasitic in humans and domestic animals.

noun

1. any of the tapeworms constituting the genus Echinococcus, the larvae of which are parasitic in man and domestic animals

n. pl. e•chi•no•coc•ci (-kŏk′sī′, -kŏk′ī′)

1. A tapeworm of the genus Echinococcus.

n.

1. A genus of parasitic tapeworms, the larvae of which, under certain conditions, infect humans, forming large hydatid cysts in the liver or lungs and causing serious or fatal disease.