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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #436572
Research Project: Foodborne Parasites and their Impact on Food Safety

Location: Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory

Title: Ultrastructural and Molecular Confirmation of Sarcocystis felis from Florida Panther (Puma concolor coryi)

Author
item Dubey, Jitender
item GUPTA, ADITYA - Orise Fellow
item SEBASTIAN, PETER - Florida Fish And Wildlife Conservation Commission
item BAUMGARTNER, WES - University Of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Submitted to: Parasitologia
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/20/2026
Publication Date: 7/23/2026
Citation: Dubey, J.P., Gupta, A., Sebastian, P., Baumgartner, W. 2026. Ultrastructural and Molecular Confirmation of Sarcocystis felis from Florida Panther (Puma concolor coryi). Journal of Parasitology. 6(4). Article e41. https://doi.org/10.3390/parasitologia6040041.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/parasitologia6040041

Interpretive Summary: Sarcocystis parasites cause illness and suffering in animals and humans. They are transmitted via ingestion of sporocysts (environmentally resistant stage) shed in feces of carnivore that have ingested infected meat. Until recently, Sarcocystis parasites were considered to be restricted in one host. Here, the authors identified Sarcocystis felis of domestic cats in Florida panther, enlarging the host range of this parasite that causes illness in cats but does not affect humans. Florida panther is an endangered species list, and its wellbeing is of public interest. This information will be of interest to veterinarians, wildlife biologists and researchers.

Technical Abstract: Sarcocystis felis, originally named for sarcocysts in the bobcat (Lynx rufus), has been reported in domestic cats (Felis catus) and several other wild felids in the Americas. However, ultrastructural confirmation of the sarcocyst wall, an important criterion for taxonomy of Sarcocystis species, is lacking in many reports. Here, we report ultrastructural confirmation of S. felis in the limb musculature of the Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi) in Florida. Sarcocysts in the Florida panther were thin-walled and had a “type 9c” cyst wall. Molecularly, 100% identity of the ITS1 region from the panther isolates with other felid isolates supported the ultrastructural findings.