Research overview: Sarcocystis and other tissue protozoa in felids

Sarcocystis parasites cycle between predator definitive hosts and prey intermediate hosts, with felids shedding infective stages after eating cysts in muscle. This overview surveys the role of wild cats in Sarcocystis life cycles, the diversity of species using felids as definitive hosts, and the generally subclinical nature of these infections alongside their importance in prey species. It examines related tissue protozoa, the predator-prey transmission dynamics involved, and the place of felids within these multi-host cycles. The synthesis connects felid parasitology to the broader ecology of protozoan parasites. It aims to help readers understand that wild cats serve as definitive hosts for a range of tissue-cyst-forming protozoa beyond the famous Toxoplasma, seeding parasites that complete their life cycles in the herbivores and other prey on which the cats feed.