Integrative description and histopathological lesions of Cyathostoma americana (Nematoda, Syngamidae) parasitizing a barn owl (Tyto alba) in Chile.

Syngamid worms (Nematoda: Syngamidae) parasitizing birds of prey are considered cosmopolitan, but the efforts to understand their biology and systematics are restricted to the Holarctic region. However, in the Neotropical region there is only one recent record with no data about its molecular characterization or its significance to the health of its hosts. Thus, this study aimed to identify through an integrative approach the Syngamid worms parasitizing a native owl, and to describe its pathological consequences.

Systematics and life cycles of four avian schistosomatids from Southern Cone of South America.

Relative to the numerous studies focused on mammalian schistosomes, fewer include avian schistosomatids particularly in the southern hemisphere. This is changing and current research emerging from the Neotropics shows a remarkable diversity of endemic taxa. To contribute to this effort, nine ducks (, , ), 12 swans () and 1,400 spp.

Pathological lesions associated with avian schistosomes (Digenea: Schistosomatidae) in the freshwater snail Chilina dombeiana (Gastropoda: Chilinidae) from Southern Chile.

Avian schistosomes inhabit the blood stream of domestic and wild birds with aquatic snails as their intermediate hosts. In the Neotropics there is an emerging effort to describe species from these hosts, including Chile, although the knowledge about their pathological consequences is mostly understudied. This study aimed to describe the pathological changes associated with the parasitism of a native schistosomatid restricted to the Southern Cone of Neotropics.