Sarcocystis spp. are common intracellular protozoan parasites of wild and domestic ungulates, yet data regarding their occurrence and molecular diversity in roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) from Romania remain scarce. The present study investigated the epidemiology and molecular diversity of Sarcocystis spp. in roe deer from western Romania and assessed the phylogenetic relationships of the detected isolates. A total of 132 striated muscle samples were collected from roe deer harvested in Arad, Bihor, and Timiș counties during 2023–2025 and examined microscopically for the presence of sarcocysts. Positive samples were subjected to PCR amplification and sequencing of the 18S rRNA gene. Sarcocysts were detected in 102/132 animals, yielding an overall prevalence of 77.3% (95% CI: 69.4–83.7). Infection prevalence increased significantly with host age (p 0.05). Molecular analysis of 30 representative isolates identified three Sarcocystis species: Sarcocystis gracilis (46.7%), S. linearis (33.3%), and S. entzerothi (20.0%), with S. gracilis being the predominant species. Phylogenetic analysis based on partial 18S rRNA sequences confirmed species-level identification and demonstrated close clustering of Romanian isolates with homologous European reference sequences, indicating high genetic similarity and limited phylogeographic structuring. To the authors’ knowledge, this study represents the first molecular characterization of Sarcocystis spp. in roe deer from Romania and expands current knowledge on the epidemiology, species diversity, and phylogenetic relationships of roe deer-associated Sarcocystis in Europe.
Codrean et al. (Sat,) studied this question.
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