Surveillance of Babesia odocoilei in wild and farmed cervid populations of Saskatchewan, Canada.

Objective:To investigate whether Babesia odocoilei could be detected from farmed and wild cervid diagnostic submissions prior to its first reported occurrence in Saskatchewan. Procedure:Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for B. odocoilei was used to survey 85 fresh-frozen samples and 112 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded samples from Saskatchewan cervids submitted for necropsy between 2000 and 2014. Results:The PCR was positive for B. odocoilei in 1/84 white-tailed deer, 1/41 moose, 0/37 mule deer, and 1/35 elk. The positive elk was from a farmed herd, but the remaining 2 positive samples were from wild cervids. The positive moose sample was the earliest confirmed infection, dating back to 2008. Therefore, 1.5% of the study population tested positive over the 14-year period. Conclusion:There were low numbers of cervids infected with B. odocoilei in the study population. Clinical relevance:Babesiosis should be included as a differential diagnosis for disease in susceptible cervids when clinical signs are compatible; however, a lack of suggestive clinical signs or necropsy findings does not preclude infection. Thus, monitoring prevalence of the disease within Saskatchewan (and Canada) will likely require targeted surveillance.