{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,3]],"date-time":"2026-08-03T16:48:51Z","timestamp":1785775731371,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":50,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,1]],"date-time":"2026-08-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1785542400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Pathogens"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Many uncertainties exist on the epidemiology of the Sarcocystis species infecting wild ruminants. In this study, tongue and\/or diaphragm tissues of free-ranging wild Caprinae species (54 Pyrenean chamois, 52 mouflons, 146 Iberian ibexes, and 19 Balearean wild goats) residing in the mountain areas of Spain were selected for Sarcocystis spp. detection and species identification. By light microscopy, Sarcocystis sarcocyst frequency rates were considerably high (85.7% in chamois, 82.7% in mouflon, 52.7% in Iberian ibexes), except for the Balearean wild goat (5.3%), which was investigated for the very first time. One excised sarcocyst of Iberian ibex was subjected to transmission electron microscopy, revealing a sibling S. capracanis ultrastructure. Genomic DNA isolated from 57 sarcocysts excised from the hosts\u2019 tissues was investigated through PCR amplicon sequencing of the 18S rRNA and cox1 genes. As a result, sequences of S. capracanis, S. cornagliai, S. rossii and S. tenella were detected, sharing high identity with conspecific sequences. Phylogenetic analyses confirmed a remarkable clustering of all Sarcocystis species in clades encompassing species transmitted via canids, except S. cornagliai, which is allocated in a clade with species using corvid birds as their definitive hosts. Therefore, a significant degree of interconnection between sylvatic and domestic Sarcocystis epidemiological cycles can be drawn in the study area.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/pathogens15080816","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,3]],"date-time":"2026-08-03T15:51:23Z","timestamp":1785772283000},"page":"816","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Sarcocystis spp. Investigations in Iberian Wild Caprinae Reveal a Remarkable Degree of Interconnection with Parasites\u2019 Domestic Epidemiological Life Cycles"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3010-5984","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Guillermo E.","family":"Delgado-De las Cuevas","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Animal Health Department, University of Extremadura, Avda. Universidad s\/n, 10071 C\u00e1ceres, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Egl\u0117","family":"Rudaityt\u0117-Luko\u0161ien\u0117","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"State Scientific Research Institute Nature Research Centre, Akademijos 2, 08412 Vilnius, Lithuania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5115-2659","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Petras","family":"Prakas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"State Scientific Research Institute Nature Research Centre, Akademijos 2, 08412 Vilnius, Lithuania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Josep","family":"Estruch","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Wildlife Ecology & Health Group (WE&H) and Servei d\u2019Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS), Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Facultat de Veterin\u00e0ria, Universitat Aut\u00f2noma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193 Bellaterra, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Roser","family":"Velarde","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Wildlife Ecology & Health Group (WE&H) and Servei d\u2019Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS), Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Facultat de Veterin\u00e0ria, Universitat Aut\u00f2noma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193 Bellaterra, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Antonio I.","family":"Plasencia-Guti\u00e9rrez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Conselleria d\u2019Agricultura, Pesca i Alimentaci\u00f3, Gobierno de las Islas Baleares, Calle Eusebi Estada 145, 07009 Palma, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mar\u00eda L.","family":"Garc\u00eda-Gil","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Spanish National Electron Microscopy Centre, Avenida Complutense s\/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0019-5798","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Miguel \u00c1.","family":"Habela","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Animal Health Department, University of Extremadura, Avda. Universidad s\/n, 10071 C\u00e1ceres, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2323-0135","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rafael","family":"Calero-Bernal","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"SALUVET Group, Animal Health Department, Complutense University of Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria s\/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Dubey, J.P., Calero-Bernal, R., Rosenthal, B.M., Speer, C.A., and Fayer, R. (2016). Sarcocystosis of Animals and Humans, CRC Press. 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