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.

Cryptosporidium spp. was detected in 3 cows from rectal pinch
samples. Direct smear stained with Acid Fast and Kinyoun stain was used to detect the organism. Subsequent samplings also indicated positive for Cryptosporidiosis, whereby one of the animals died due to dehydration and severe clinical signs of diarrhea. The farm had contaminated water supply where two out of the four ponds were
positive for Cryptosporidium spp. whereas the municipal water supply was negative. The management of the farm was poor in terms of nutrition and cleanliness which led to Cryptosporidium spp. infection in the cattle compounded by stress factors. The mortality of the adult dairy cattle and calves was also high reaching up to
40%. The most common cause of death was leg weakness, severe dehydration and pneumonia in calves as a result of severe infections. Cryptosporidiosis is zoonotic and thus needs to be controlled to prevent outbreaks in the human population.