| Summary: | Chamois are mountain ungulates (Artiodactyla: Caprinae) which inhabit several medium- and high-altitude mountain ranges from southern Europe to the Near East. The first findings of <i>Sarcocystis</i> cysts in the musculature of chamois were reported in the 1970s. However, only limited work on the epidemiology of sarcocystosis and the identification of the species of <i>Sarcocystis</i> in chamois has been carried out in the past. The present study aimed to provide, for the first time, data on the prevalence and intensity of <i>Sarcocystis</i> spp. Infection in native Alpine chamois using a histology examination of heart and/or diaphragm tissue samples collected from 216 chamois (40 kids [<1 year] and 176 chamois ranging up to 18 years of age). Sarcocysts were detected in either the heart or diaphragm of 167/216 chamois (77.3%), with 131 of 183 heart samples and 127 of 215 diaphragm samples testing sarcocyst-positive. Of the 181 chamois with both heart and diaphragm samples available (34 kids and 147 older animals), sarcocysts were detected in the heart and/or diaphragm of 142 animals, translating to an overall 78.5% prevalence of <i>Sarcocystis</i> spp. infection (95%CI 72.5–84.4%). Sarcocysts were more frequently recorded in the heart vs. diaphragm (72.4% vs. 56.4%; <i>p</i> = 0.0021), and diaphragm positivity was associated with heart positivity (<i>p</i> = 0.0001). The sarcocyst prevalence (heart and/or diaphragm) was significantly (<i>p</i> < 0.001) lower in the kids than in the older chamois (27.1% vs. 88.6%, respectively); however, it did not differ between the sexes, regardless of the chamois’ age (<i>p</i> > 0.3). The intensity of infection was generally low (<10 sarcocysts per cm<sup>2</sup> muscle cut) in both heart-positive and diaphragm-positive animals (94.7% and 93.7%, respectively). The heart tissue yielded higher sarcocyst counts than the diaphragm tissue (<i>p</i> < 0.001). Both the heart and diaphragm sarcocyst counts were significantly (<i>p</i> < 0.001) lower in the kids than in the older chamois. <i>Sarcocystis</i> spp. infection was demonstrated to be prevalent in chamois in Germany, but its intensity is apparently low. Further studies are desired to identify the species of <i>Sarcocystis</i> parasitizing the chamois using both phenotypic and molecular characteristics.
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