Surveillance ofin wild and farmed cervid populations of Saskatchewan, Canada.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whethercould be detected from farmed and wild cervid diagnostic submissions prior to its first reported occurrence in Saskatchewan. PROCEDURE: Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) forwas 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 forin 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 within 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.