Contraception offers potential as a tool for managing certain diseases in wildlife, most notably venereally transmitted diseases or diseases transmitted at parturition. Brucellosis is an excellent example of an infectious disease present in wild populations that could potentially be managed through immunocontraception. Previous studies in bison (Bison bison) suggest that a single injection of G...

The relationship between European bison and cervidae is a good model for studies on the influence of migration and introduction of new species on the helmhninthofauna of wild ruminants and the occurrence of new parasitoses. Changes in the helminthofauna of bison and deer under the influence of changes in the environment and living conditions, as well as the introduction and migration of other s...

The degree of genetic polymorphism at the DRB3 locus in the major histocompatibility complex (Mhc) of the North American bison was investigated by PCR and DNA sequence analysis. Nine different alleles were characterized in a selected sample of 20 animals. The genetic distances between alleles were as large as usually found at highly polymorphic Mhc loci in other species. A comparative analysis ...

PCR protocols incorporating fluorescently labeled multiplexed primer combinations were developed to produce a linkage map for bison. Three hundred fifty eight microsatellite loci spanning all 29 autosomes were genotyped via 83 PCR multiplexes and nine individual amplifications. A total of 292 markers were integrated into an autosomal linkage map for bison. The sex averaged bison map (2,647 cM) ...

Identifying the source of infectious disease outbreaks is difficult, especially for pathogens that infect multiple wildlife species. Brucella spp. are among the most problematic zoonotic agents worldwide, and they are notoriously difficult to detect and identify. We genotyped 10 variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR) DNA loci in 56 Brucella abortus isolates from bison (Bos bison), elk (Cervus ...

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 ...