Multistakeholder Advances on a Definition of American Bison (Bison bison) Health.

North American bison (Bison bison) face significant challenges to their recovery, including disease risks associated with translocation and genetic bottlenecks. This study aimed to achieve a multidisciplinary consensus on a definition of bison health and to identify key infectious disease concerns linked to bison translocation. A two-round Delphi survey was conducted with 12 of 22 invited experts representing public, tribal, nonprofit, and private sectors. Participants defined bison health as the ability of populations to express natural behaviors, demonstrate resilience to external stressors, and achieve high reproductive output within their environment with minimal intervention. Mycoplasma bovis was identified as a high-priority pathogen due to its severe economic and health impacts. This definition of bison health may be useful as a basis for guiding health monitoring and informing policy as well as identifying key needs of the bison sector.