Abstract
Simple SummaryThe European bison (Bison bonasus) is an endangered species which faces a number of health threats. One potentially dangerous disease is paratuberculosis, which can cause diarrhea and cachexia in animals and is a potentially dangerous disease for humans. The aim of this study was to conduct a serological survey of paratuberculosis in Polish bison herds. Of the tested 165 European bison, three were found to be positive, indicating that paratuberculosis is not currently an urgent problem in this population. However, as the appearance of symptomatic paratuberculosis in a single European bison subpopulation could be fatal for the restitution of the species as whole, further random checks are needed.The European bison (Bison bonasus) is an endangered species which faces a range of health threats. As little is known of exposure of European bison to paratuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium avium spp. paratuberculosis, known to cause losses in cattle, the aim of the present study was to conduct serological survey in Polish bison herds. Between September 2018 and February 2021, blood samples were collected from 165 European bison from different regions of Poland. Samples were taken whenever the animals were immobilized (e.g., putting on telemetry collars) as well as from any dead animal. The serum samples were tested with ELISA. Three individuals, originating from different captive herds, were found to be seropositive. In conclusion, it was found that Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis infections are not currently a problem in European bison, especially in free-range herds.
Highlights
The European bison (Bison bonasus) is an endangered species which faces a wide range of population management problems [1,2] as well as environmental and health threats [3,4,5].More than a quarter of the world’s population lives in Poland
The most dangerous threat in recent years for European bison has been the outbreak of bovine tuberculosis (BTB) which, in this species, is mainly caused by Mycobacterium caprae
The aim of the study was to conduct a serological survey of paratuberculosis in the European bison (Bison bonasus) population in Poland and to figure out where there is a need for continuous monitoring of the disease
Summary
More than a quarter of the world’s population lives in Poland. The total number of European bison in Poland is 2316 (212 captive and 2104 free-living) June 2021)) and the population is gradually increasing. This increasing density favors the spread of infectious diseases, and there is a pressing need to implement active protection measures and carefully monitor the spread of any potential threats [6]. The most dangerous threat in recent years for European bison has been the outbreak of bovine tuberculosis (BTB) which, in this species, is mainly caused by Mycobacterium caprae. Atypical mycobacteria have been recently isolated from European bison lymph nodes [7]. The most common emerging atypical mycobacterium in cattle seems to be Mycobacterium avium spp. paratuberculosis (MAP) [8]
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