antifilarial
adjective
an·ti·fi·lar·i·al
-fə-ˈlar-ē-əl, -ˈler- 
: tending to destroy filarial worms or to inhibit their growth
By 1978, the Merck pharmaceutical laboratories had isolated an effective antifilarial antibiotic, called ivermectin, which was extracted from a species of fungus.—
Stanley M. Aronson, The Providence (Rhode Island) Journal-Bulletin
Stanley M. Aronson, The Providence (Rhode Island) Journal-Bulletin
also
: produced in response to filarial infection
… 11% of U.S. service personnel who were stationed in filariasis-endemic regions of South Vietnam had antifilarial antibodies. —Wayne Melrose and Peter A. Leggat, Military Medicine
Wayne Melrose and Peter A. Leggat, Military Medicine
antifilarial
noun
… an attempt to develop ideal antifilarials capable of eliminating both the microfilariae and adult worms with no toxic effect on the host …
—C. R. Pfaltz et al., Progress in Drug Research
C. R. Pfaltz et al., Progress in Drug Research
Cite this Entry
“Antifilarial.” Merriam-Webster.com Medical Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/medical/antifilarial. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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