Dr Muhammad G Morshed is a clinical microbiologist and program head of Zoonotic Diseases and Emerging Pathogens at the BC Public Health Microbiology and Reference Laboratory, Provincial Health Services Authority Laboratories. He is also a clinical professor in the department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, UBC.
Dr Morshed received his PhD from the Yamguchi University School of Medicine, Japan in 1994. He completed his specialty training at the Research Institute of Tuberculosis in Tokyo, Japan and from the College of Natural Resources, University of California, Berkeley. His laboratory is responsible for specialized serology testing, molecular testing and microbial fingerprinting, program evaluation and research. His research focuses on surveillance of zoonotic and emerging pathogens. Organisms of interest are Borrelia burgdorferi, Treponema pallidum, Cryptococcus gattii, Toxoplasma gondii, Helicobacter pylori, and West Nile virus.
His laboratory is also involved with field studies on zoonotic and vector-borne disease (mice, ticks, and mosquitoes) across British Columbia. Dr. Morshed is also recognized by the national and international research community for his expertise on Lyme disease and syphilis. He is also member of many provincial, national, and international working groups and networks in the area of zoonotic and emerging pathogens.
Dr Morshed holds memberships in the American Society for Microbiology, Canadian Association for Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Japan Anti-Tuberculosis Association and is a registered member of the Canadian College of Microbiologists (CCM). He is also serving on the CCM Executive Board as Treasurer since 2012.
Author profile
Muhammad Morshed, PhD, SCCM
Ticks are known vectors for transmission of tick-borne diseases in British Columbia. Tick bites and concern about tick-borne diseases are common presenting complaints to primary care and urgent care settings, especially... Read More
Rates of infectious syphilis in British Columbia have been steadily increasing over the past decade. In 2021, 1428 infectious syphilis cases were reported in BC (27.5 per 100 000 population, the highest on record in the... Read More
Lyme disease is a tick-transmitted infection caused by Borrelia burgdorferi. It is transmitted by Ixodes ticks, colloquially called deer ticks. In British Columbia, the disease is transmitted predominantly by I.... Read More
Like it or not, raccoons are part of our urban landscapes. They can be found eating, sleeping, and defecating in parks, backyards, and other areas where British Columbians live, work, and play. While some may find them... Read More
Background The Thompson-Okanagan region of British Columbia (population approximately 540 000 in 2015) is an arid part of the province contiguous with north-central Washington state. A warm dry climate and... Read More
Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato is a diverse bacterial group with a worldwide distribution of 20 named and 1 unnamed genospecies. B. burgdorferi sensu stricto seen in North America, B. afzelii and B. garinii in Europe,... Read More
The incidence of infectious syphilis (i.e., primary, secondary, early latent) has increased nearly fivefold from 2010 to 2015 in BC, and is projected to further increase in 2016 (Figure 1). Men who have sex with men (... Read More
Legionnaires’ disease is often severe and is a potentially fatal form of bacterial pneumonia, particularly in individuals with compromised health status. Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 accounts for the... Read More
Lyme disease is caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi and transmitted mainly via the tick vector Ixodes pacificus in British Columbia.[1] Polymerase chain reaction testing finds Borrelia... Read More
In June 2012 the province’s health authorities, the BCCDC, and the Ministry of Health, through the Communicable Disease Policy Committee, released the BC Strategic Plan for Tuberculosis Prevention, Treatment and Control... Read More