Introduction: Scabies is a contagious parasitic disease, a skin infestation caused by Scaroptes scabieri, tiny mites that burrow under the skin. Outbreaks of scabies can be difficult to control and require the implementation of appropriate control programme. Objective: The purpose of the...

Proper management and genetic monitoring of the modern European bison (Bison bonasus) population is one of the most important responsibilities for this species’ conservation. Up-to-date, complex genetic analysis performed using a consistent molecular method is needed for population management as a tool to further validate and maintain the genetic diversity of the species. The identification of the genetic line when pedigree data are missing, as well as the identification of parentage and individuals, are crucial for this purpose. The aim of our research was to create a small but informative panel of SNP (single-nucleotide polymorphism) markers that can be used for routine genotyping of the European bison at low cost. In our study, we used a custom-designed microarray to genotype a large number of European bison, totaling 455 samples from two genetic lines. The results of this analysis allowed us to select highly informative markers. In this paper, we present an effective single nucleotide polymorphism set, divided into separate panels to perform genetic analyses of European bison, which is needed for population monitoring and management. We proposed a total of 20 SNPs to detect hybridization with Bos taurus and Bison bison, a panel of 50 SNPs for individuals and parentage identification, as well as a panel of 30 SNPs for assessing membership of the genetic line. These panels can be used together or independently depending on the research goal and can be applied using various methods.

Wisent Bison bonasus is an example of a species saved from extinction and reintroduced into nature after a few decades of captive breeding. There were only twelve founders of the Lowland–Caucasian line (LC) and even fewer (seven out of twelve) of Lowland (LB) animals. The genetic diversity in studies based on pedigree or markers is very low. In this paper, we present a summary of the long-term genetic monitoring conducted for the worldwide population of European bison. We summarized the long-term genetic monitoring studies conducted on the worldwide population of wisents to date. We genotyped 2227 wisents from two genetic lines (LC and LB) and different populations at ten microsatellite loci. We found low polymorphism, with only 2.7 alleles per locus, and much lower values of observed heterozygosity (0.380 and 0.348 in the LC and LB lines, respectively) than expected heterozygosity. The difference between the lines is only noticeable in allele proportions, so the number of markers is not enough to distinguish the two genetic lines. We also present the genetic distance among four free-roaming populations that are geographically close to each other. We found that the genetic distance of one of them is larger than that of the others, which could be the effect of genetic drift.

The European bison is a species well known for its low genetic variability due to historical bottleneck incidents. Restoration of the European bison population in Lithuania began at the end of the 20th century, and the Lithuanian population was re-established with ten individuals from the Prioksko-Terrasny reserve in Russia and one free-roaming individual captured in Lithuania. This research focused on the genetic diversity and genetic structure of European bison in Lithuania based on microsatellite markers and mtDNA sequences. The results of the microsatellite analysis revealed that the Lithuanian population (n = 34) has a different genetic structure to individuals in Poland (n = 16), Germany (n = 10), and Sweden (n = 6). The analysis of the mtDNA sequences showed a low level of variation, with two haplotypes observed in the Lithuanian bison population. H1 was more frequent and was also found in Poland, Romania, and Russia. The results of this investigation show that individuals should be continuously genetically monitored, registering their migrations and relocations for the successful management of the species in Lithuania.

The prevalence of vector-borne pathogens in 81 European bison (Bison bonasus) was determined by nested PCR and DNA sequencing. Trypanosoma sp. Infections were detected in blood from 66.67 % of the studied animals, with the highest prevalence in Knyszyn Forest (82.67 %). Anaplasma phagocytophilum infections were found in 38.27 % of cases, with the highest prevalence in Białowieża Forest (45.45 %). Anaplasma infection rates were influenced by location and age, with older animals showing lower prevalence. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed that Trypanosoma sequences obtained from European bison were closely related to T. theileri, suggesting T. wrublewskii may be a synonym. This study provides new insights into the distribution of vector-borne pathogens in European bison, emphasizing their high prevalence in free-ranging populations. These findings contribute to a better understanding of European bison health and potential disease transmission risks in European ecosystems.

Kidney diseases are observed in various wild animal species, more often noted in captive than in free-ranging animals. There are few reports in roe deer (Capreolus capreolus). Two kidney malformations were encountered while reviewing and collecting the roe deer samples. Kidney malformations were found in samples from two roe deer in Central Poland, one in 5-year-old female near Węgrów (50 km northeast of Warsaw) and one in 7-year-old male near Rawa Mazowiecka (75 km southwest of Warsaw). The female had a smaller (5 cm long and weighed 20 g) shrunken kidney (no prominent histopathological changes) and compensatory hypertrophy of the other kidney (weighting 85.8 g). A diagnosis of renal hypoplasia was made. The male had a smaller kidney (4.5 cm long and weighed 15.3 g) and normal-sized the other kidney (7.5 cm and 55.6 g). Massive mononuclear infiltrates composed mainly of lymphocytes and plasma cells in the renal interstitium, with hyperplasia of the connective tissue and multifocal glomerular sclerosis, were found in both kidneys. Diagnosis of chronic interstitial nephritis was made.