Research overview: prey-mediated parasite transmission and felid diet

A felid’s diet largely determines its parasite burden, as many worms and protozoa are acquired by eating infected prey. This overview surveys how prey-mediated transmission shapes the parasitic fauna of wild cats, linking diet composition to infection with tapeworms, roundworms, Toxoplasma, Sarcocystis and other parasites whose life cycles pass through prey species. It examines how dietary breadth, prey availability and feeding behavior influence parasite diversity and load, and how parasite surveys can even reveal aspects of what cats eat. The synthesis connects feeding ecology to parasitology. It aims to help readers understand that the parasites carried by wild felids are a direct reflection of their predatory lifestyle, with each meal a potential source of infection and the overall parasite community a signature of the cat’s place in the food web.