The first report of Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in free-living European bison (Bison bonasus bonasus Linnaeus).

Toxoplasma gondii Nicolle et Manceaux, 1908 is an apicomplexan parasite with a worldwide distribution. It is of great medical and veterinary importance because it may cause abortion or congenital disease in its intermediate hosts, including man. The European bison, the largest herbivorous animal in Europe, is a species that has been saved from extinction. Twenty-four of 95 examined sera of the European bison (Bison bonasus bonasus) from the Białowieza Forest, Poland collected from 2008 to 2011 were found to be positive for the presence of T. gondii-specific IgG antibodies using a direct agglutination test, with the antibody titre in positive animals ranging from 40 to 18000. Statistically significant differences were observed only between years of sample collection. This is the first report on T. gondii in lowland European bison living in the natural environment.