Ranked among the top threats to conservation worldwide, infectious disease is of particular concern for wild canids because domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) may serve as sources and reservoirs of infection. On British Columbia’s largely undeveloped but rapidly changing central and north coasts, little is known about diseases in wolves (Canis lupus) or other wildlife. However, several threats exist for transfer of diseases among unvaccinated dogs and wolves. To gain baseline data on infectious agents in this area, including those with zoonotic potential, we collected blood and stool samples from 107 dogs in 5 remote communities in May and September 2007. Serology revealed that the dogs had been exposed to canine parvovirus, canine distemper virus, Bordetella bronchiseptica, canine respiratory coronavirus, and Leptospira interrogans. No dogs showed evidence of exposure to Ehrlichia canis, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Borrelia burgdorferi, Dirofilaria immitis, or Cryptococcus gattii. Of 75 stool samples, 31 contained at least 1 parasitic infection, including Taeniid tapeworms, the nematodes Toxocara canis and Toxascaris leonina, and the protozoans Isospora sp., Giardia sp., Cryptosporidium sp., and Sarcocystis sp. This work provides a sound baseline for future monitoring of infectious agents that could affect dogs, sympatric wild canids, other wildlife, and humans.

Objective-To investigate shedding of chlamydiae from conjunctiva and genital tracts of cats without clinical signs of conjunctivitis or other infectious disease in relation to their titers of serum antibodies against chlamydiae and to serum amyloid A (SAA) and serum alpha1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) concentrations. Animals-62 healthy cats. Procedures-Serum from each cat was analyzed for antibodies against chlamydiae and for SAA and AGP concentrations. Swab samples from the conjunctival sac and genital tract were analyzed with a real-time PCR assay for Chlamydiaceae. Results-4 of 8 of cats with high antibody titers (ie, 1,600) shed chlamydiae, but only from the conjunctiva. Chlamydiae could not be detected in samples from cats with lower antibody titers nor from any genital tract samples. In cats with antibody titers of 1,600, mean +/- SD SAA concentration was significantly higher when chlamydiae were detected in conjunctival swab samples (3.9 +/- 1.0 mg/L) than when no chlamydiae were detected (1.4 +/- 1.0 mg/L). However, SAA concentration was greater than the limit for an acute-phase response in only one of those cats. There was no significant difference in serum AGP concentrations between cats with high titers that were or were not shedding chlamydiae. Nine of 30 (30%) cats (5 with and 4 without detectable serum antibodies against chlamydiae) that had been mated developed reproductive disorders. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance-Clinically normal cats with high chlamydiae-specific antibody titers can shed and thus transmit chlamydiae. Venereal spread from cats without clinical signs of infection is likely not common.