Influence of inbreeding on the incidence of cryptorchidism in males of Lowland-line bison

Abstract

SummaryThe aim of this study was to find whether the coefficient of inbreeding is correlated with the incidence of cryptorchidism in the Białowieża line of bison.Our In 461 male European bison older than 1 year, there were 18 cases of cryptorchidism. In the animals born in the first decade, two autopsical cases of cryptorchidism (0.045%) were recorded, and 4 cases of cryptorchidism (0.03%) were found in the animals from the second decade. Among the bison born in the third decade, there were no cases of cryptorchidism. In the fourth decade, 7 cases of cryptorchidism (0.071%) were diagnosed, and among the bison born during the fifth decade, there were 5 cases (0.111%).The Pearson correlation coefficient suggests that, as the value of the coefficient of inbreeding rises, there is an increase in cryptorchidism cases in male European bison.