Toxoplasma gondii in protected wildlife in the Tatra National Park (TANAP), Slovakia.

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligatory intracellular protozoan parasite that infects a broad spectrum of warm-blooded vertebrate species. As a part of the food chain, farm animals play a significant role in transmission of T. gondii to humans, while rats and mice serve as a main source of infection for free-living animals.

The important zoonoses in the protected areas of the Tatra National Park (TANAP).

The northern part of Slovakia constitutes an important tourist and recreational area of the country. Protected localities of the Tatra National Park (TANAP) are characterised by specific ecological conditions. The high numbers of animals inhabiting protected areas of the TANAP and their potential encounters with tourists contribute to a risk of transmission of important parasitic zoonoses.