Mycoplasma bovis in North American bison (Bison bison): history, advances, and challenges

Authors: BUTTKE, DANIELLE - Us National Park Service; Kaplan, Bryan; BRAGG, TOM - Turner Institute For Ecoagriculture, Inc; JONES, LEE - Us Fish And Wildlife Service; MALMBERG, JENNIFER - Animal And Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)

Submitted to: Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/17/2025
Publication Date: 1/2/2026
Citation: Buttke, D.E., Kaplan, B.S., Bragg, T.K., Jones, L.C., Malmberg, J.L. 2026. Mycoplasma bovis in North American bison: history, advances, and challenges. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. 13. Article 1689117. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2025.1689117.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2025.1689117

Interpretive Summary: North American bison are a large, herbivorous species native to American prairies that are currently rebounding from near extinction. Infectious disease currently poses a significant threat to bison restoration and ranching. Mycoplasma bovis (M. bovis) is a bacteria that is frequently associated with the multifactorial bovine respiratory disease complex causing respiratory disease and mastitis in domestic cattle. In bison, M. bovis alone is capable of causing severe, chronic respiratory disease, frequently associated with high mortality outbreaks, that is difficult to diagnose, control, and prevent. This review presents the current state of field of Mycoplasma research in bison, highlighting recent findings and identifying knowledge gaps that should be investigated to protect and preserve this iconic American species.

Technical Abstract: North American bison (Bison bison) are keystone herbivores that shaped the ecology and evolution of North American prairies and peoples alike. Bison populations were pushed to near-extinction at the turn of the 20th century. Today, bison remain highly susceptible to newly introduced pathogens to which they have not evolved immunity, and Mycoplasma bovis is a significant threat to bison health. Although M. bovis is frequently associated with multifactorial bovine respiratory disease complex in its reservoir host, domestic cattle, M. bovis is a devastating primary pathogen in bison. As a fastidious, insidious, and rapidly mutating organism that lacks a cell wall, M. bovis is difficult to diagnose in an infected animal, and the lack of bison-specific knowledge and diagnostic tools further limits options for herd managers. Here we present a review of the current state of the field of M. bovis in bison, identify gaps in our understanding of bison physiology and M. bovis ecology, and we highlight the unique evolutionary differences of bison from domestic livestock. Dedicated bison research is urgently needed to improve prevention, surveillance, response, and management of M. bovis in this iconic North American wildlife species.