xenodiagnostic
/ˌzinoʊˌdaɪəɡˈnɑstɪk/
adjective
- Relating to a method of diagnosing a disease by exposing a healthy organism (such as an insect or animal) to a suspected source of infection and then checking the organism for the disease.
- The researchers used a xenodiagnostic approach to test for the parasite in the patient's blood.
- The lab developed a xenodiagnostic test using specially bred mosquitoes to check for the virus.
- Xenodiagnostic techniques are sometimes used in tropical medicine to detect hard-to-find infections.