overparasitized

English

Etymology

From over- +‎ parasitized.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˌoʊvɚˈpæɹəsaɪtˌaɪzd/

Adjective

overparasitized (comparative more overparasitized, superlative most overparasitized)

  1. Excessively parasitized; affected by an unusually large number or intensity of parasites, often resulting in harm or reduced viability.
    • 1929, Proceedings of the Sixteenth Indian Science Congress., MADRAS: Asiatic Society of Bengal, page 170:
      The explanation of this was, that nature had overdone her work, the larvae had been overparasitized, that is to say, the larvae had been attacked by several flies, with the result that the amount of food contained in the body of any one larva was insufficient for the large number of grubs devouring its tissues, all thus dying from starvation before reaching maturity.
    • 1997, Bruno Streit, Curtis M. Lively, Thomas Stadler, editors, Evolutionary Ecology of Freshwater Animals: Concepts and Case Studies, Springer, page 285:
      If sexuals cannot invade these marginal habitats or reversion to sex is constrained, parthenogens should be overparasitized.
    • 2020 August 6, Lynne Shore Garcia, Diagnostic Medical Parasitology, Wiley, page 607:
      Death rarely occurs, but in developing countries with undernourished and overparasitized populations, this infection can make the difference between a healthy life and chronic debilitation.
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