New insights into the clinico-histopathological and molecular features of Pelecitus (Filarioidea: Onchocercidae) from a raptor bird.

Some Onchocercidae nematodes such as Pelecitus are parasites of medical and veterinary importance. The adult stage of Pelecitus has been reported infecting birds, and the microfilaria has been associated to human blindness. However, in some of these cases, the nematode was incompletely identified at the species level due to the scarcity of morphological taxonomic keys and, also, to the lack of molecular diagnostic analysis.