as a cause of mortality in captive cervids in Canada.

Abstract

Nine cases of fatal infection withwere confirmed in reindeerand elkhoused in zoological institutions located in southern Quebec, Ontario, and Manitoba, Canada between 2013 and 2016. All animals died of a hemolytic crisis. Frequent postmortem findings were extensive hemorrhage, pigmenturia, and intrahepatic cholestasis. The described ante- and postmortem signs are consistent with those of previously reported cases in the United States. Diagnosis was confirmed in all cases by polymerase chain reaction performed on DNA extracted from whole blood or frozen spleen. We propose that babesiosis is an emerging disease of cervids in multiple Canadian provinces, most likely as a result of climate change and the northward range expansion ofthe primary tick vector forThe role of captive animals as sentinels for wildlife health is also highlighted.