Research overview: sylvatic Toxoplasma cycles maintained by bobcats and pumas

Beyond domestic cats, wild felids such as bobcats and pumas sustain natural sylvatic cycles of Toxoplasma, shedding oocysts that infect wild prey and contribute to environmental contamination. This overview surveys the role of these wild cats as definitive hosts, the prey species that serve as intermediate hosts, and the diversity of parasite strains, including atypical genotypes, circulating in wildland systems. It examines how sylvatic cycles connect to coastal and human-dominated landscapes and why wild felids matter as sources of especially virulent strains found in marine mammals. The synthesis frames Toxoplasma transmission as a web spanning wild and domestic cats alike. It aims to help readers appreciate that the parasite’s ecology extends well beyond pet cats into pristine ecosystems maintained by their wild relatives.