Submitted to: Journal of Parasitology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/12/2025
Publication Date: 5/15/2025
Citation: Dubey, J.P., Gupta, A., Rosenthal, B.M., Reichard, M. 2025. Sarcocystis and Hepatozoon Infections in Tongues of Bobcats (Lynx rufus) in Oklahoma, USA. Journal of Parasitology. 5(2). Article e24. https://doi.org/10.3390/parasitologia5020024.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/parasitologia5020024

Interpretive Summary: Parasites in the genera Sarcocystis and Hepatozoon are single celled parasites that infect many species of domestic and wild animals. Some species of Sarcocystis can cause serious illness in livestock and humans. People become infected with Sarcocystis by eating uncooked infected meat (beef, pork) or ingesting an environmentally resistant stage excreted in feces of carnivorous hosts (snakes). Here the authors found that 50% of 56 bobcats from Oklahoma were infected with Sarcocystis, a species that causes illness in dogs but not humans and livestock. An incidental finding was the presence of Hepatozoon in 2 of 56 cats. Hepatozoon species are arthropod-borne parasites, and it is reported for the first time in Oklahoma bobcats, indicating that its vectors (probably a tick) exist in Oklahoma. These results will help biologists, parasitologists, wildlife services, and veterinarians track the spread of these parasites in natural conditions and diagnose disease in companion animals. The results alleviate concern that bobcats harbor species of Sarcocystis or Hepatozoon that endanger livestock or human health.

Technical Abstract: Archived, frozen tongues of 56 bobcats (Lynx rufus) from Oklahoma, USA, were tested for parasites. Testing for Sarcocystis infections included microscopic examination of unstained muscle squashes, histological sections of paraffin-embedded tissues, and molecular characterization. By a combination of both compression methods and histology, sarcocysts were found in 28 (50.0%) of 56 bobcats. In compression preparations, the sarcocyst wall appeared thin and protrusions were not clear. Histologically, tissues were degraded and, in most tongues, only a few sarcocysts were found, except bobcat #35. Multilocus genotyping utilizing 18S rRNA, 28S rRNA, and cox1 genes yielded sequences exhibiting 98–100% identity with both Sarcocystis arctica and Sarcocystis caninum isolates available in the NCBI database. Hepatozoon rufi-like meronts were found in two tongues and is the first report of Hepatozoon infections in bobcats in Oklahoma.