| Summary: | <i>Babesia odocoilei</i> is a tick-borne protozoal parasite which infects the erythrocytes of members of the families Cervidae and Bovidae. Infection can result in hemolytic anemia, lethargy, anorexia, and death. The reservoir host of <i>B. odocoilei</i> is the white-tailed deer (<i>Odocoileus virginianus</i>); however, infections with overt disease have only been documented in reindeer (<i>Rangider tarandu tarandus</i>), caribou (<i>Rangider tarandu caribou</i>) and captive elk (<i>Cervus elaphus canadensis</i>). Infected elk may remain asymptomatic, creating the risk for dissemination of the pathogen when elk are relocated. Additionally, infected asymptomatic elk may contribute to the spread of <i>B. odocoilei</i> in the local wildlife/captive population via feeding ticks. Information regarding endemic regions of <i>B. odocoilei</i> infection is limited due to frequent asymptomatic infections and a lack of targeted surveillance of <i>B. odocoilei</i> in wildlife. To obtain data on <i>B. odocoilei</i> infection in wild elk in Pennsylvania, we tested blood samples collected from 190 hunter-harvested wild elk between 2016 and 2017. Of the 190 blood samples tested, 18.4% (35/190) tested positive for <i>Babesia</i> spp. Genetic sequencing of the positive samples showed a 98.0–100.0% match for <i>B. odocoilei</i>. No other <i>Babesia</i> species were identified. Results of this study documents <i>B. odocoilei</i> infection within hunter-harvested wild elk from Pennsylvania.
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