microfilaria /mī′krōfiler″ē·ə/ pl. microfilariae [Gk, mikros + L, filum, thread] , the prelarval form of any filarial worm. Certain blood-sucking insects ingest these forms from an infected host, and the microfilariae then develop in the body of the insect and become infective larvae. See also filariasis, loiasis, onchocerciasis, Wuchereria.
