xenodiagnosis

n., pl., -ses (-sēz).
Diagnosis of an infectious disease at an early stage by exposing a presumably infected individual or tissue to a clean, laboratory-bred mosquito, tick, or other vector and then examining the vector for the presence of the infective microorganism.

xenodiagnostic xen'o·di·ag·nos'tic (-nŏs'tĭk) adj.

(zĕn'ə-dī'əg-nō'sĭs, zē'nə-)
n., pl. -ses (-sēz).

Diagnosis of an infectious disease at an early stage by exposing a presumably infected individual or tissue to a clean, laboratory-bred mosquito, tick, or other vector and, following a suitable incubation period, examining the vector for the presence of the infective microorganism.

1. diagnosis by means of finding, in the feces of clean laboratory-reared, parasite-free arthropod vectors allowed to feed on the host suspected of being infected by a protozoan, the infective forms of the organism causing the disease; used in diagnosis of trypanosomiasis.
2. diagnosis of trichinosis by means of feeding laboratory-bred rats or mice on meat suspected of being infected with Trichinella, and then examining the animals for the parasite.