A set of studies was designed in order to better understand the exposure of horses in Canada to Ixodes-borne diseases, namely equine granulocytic anaplasmosis (EGA, caused by Anaplasma phagocytophilum) and Lyme borreliosis (LB, caused by Borrelia burgdorferi). In the first study, equine serum samples submitted to veterinary diagnostic laboratories in SK, MB and ON were tested for antibodies against A. phagocytophilum and B. burgdorferi, using the point-of-care SNAP® 4Dx® ELISA. Horses seropositive to EGA were found in SK and MB and horses seropositive to LB were found in SK, MB and ON. Overall seroprevalence according to the SNAP® 4Dx® ELISA was 0.53% for EGA and 1.6% for LB. Samples that tested positive for antibodies against A. phagocytophilum (n=2) and B. burgdorferi (n=6) by SNAP® 4Dx® ELISA and 2 randomly selected subsets of samples that tested negative (n=92 each) were then re-tested using currently recommended serologic methods, and test results were compared. A lack of agreement was found between the SNAP® 4Dx® ELISA and indirect immunofluorescent assay (IFA) for EGA (McNemar test p = 0.000001). Agreement of the SNAP® 4Dx® ELISA and ELISA confirmed with Western Blot (WB) for LB was only fair (Kappa 0.23). Due to the lack of agreement between serologic tests for EGA and LB in the first study, another study to further evaluate the agreement among available serologic tests was conducted. A set of 50 convenience serum samples submitted to the veterinary diagnostic laboratory in SK was tested by SNAP® 4Dx® Plus ELISA for antibodies against A. phagocytophilum and B. burgdorferi. Samples were also tested by IFA for antibodies against A. phagocytophilum in two referral laboratories, and by IFA, ELISA confirmed with WB and Equine Lyme multiplex assay for antibodies against B. burgdorferi in three referral laboratories. Again, test results varied between the different tests. For EGA, all 3 pair-wise test comparisons lacked agreement. For LB, agreement between tests ranged from poor to fair. Differences in test methodology and antigens used, cut-off settings between the laboratories and false positive or false negative results are likely the cause for the different assessment of the same sample as seropositive or seronegative. In the third study, the goal was to describe potential risk factors for exposure of horses in Canada to EGA and LB. Management factors in horses that tested seropositive or seronegative for EGA or LB, respectively, in the previous studies were evaluated. Horse owners were surveyed with regard to their horses’ signalment, timing of pasture housing, and province of residence, travel history, tick infestation history, history of Lyme vaccination and history of previously diagnosed tick-borne disease. Response rate (11.5%) and the number of seropositive horses available for evaluation were low, which precluded statistical analysis. The majority of seropositive horses resided in SK, was pastured in the fall, did not have a recent travel history and had not had visible tick infestation. These observations supported exposure of horses to tick-borne diseases within Canada. Potential risk factors require further investigation. As information about tick infestation in horses is scarce in general, a passive surveillance study of horse ticks in SK was conducted in 2012 and 2013. A total of 833 ticks from over 86 horses were received. All ticks were Dermacentor species, i.e. D. albipictus, D. andersoni and D. variabilis. D. albipictus ticks were mostly received in February and March, D. andersoni mainly in April and June and D. variabilis mostly in May and June. Geographic distribution of the species in SK was similar to that previously reported based on active and passive surveillance. No Ixodes species were received.

The purpose of this study was first to describe the clinical findings, case management and short-term outcome of horses with septic synovial structures over the last 25 years, and to identify risk factors and treatment modalities associated with specific short-term outcomes. Secondly, we wanted to evaluate a broad range real time polymerase chain reaction (RT PCR) assay for the diagnosis of septic synovitis from synovial fluid (SF) samples of horses, and compare its performance to currently available diagnostic methods. For the retrospective study, 367 cases met the inclusion criteria. Lavage of the synovial structure and endoscopic surgery were associated with an increased likelihood of discharge from hospital, however, none of the local antimicrobial delivery modalities were associated with a significant change in outcome. No significant improvement in hospital outcome of horses with septic synovitis was identified over the past 25 years. For the RT PCR study, 48 SF samples from horses with suspected septic synovitis were included, and RT PCR and microbial culture was performed on all samples. One additional RT PCR assay was performed on samples with discordant results or identification of dissimilar organisms. Thirty-eight percent of SF samples had positive culture results, and 42% of SF samples had positive RT PCR results. Sensitivity and specificity for the RT PCR assay relative to agreement of observers on the likelihood of infection were 87% and 72%, respectively, whereas for culture they were 56% and 86%, respectively (P=0.001). The combination of culture and RT PCR assay resulted in sensitivity and specificity of 85% and 81%, respectively. The broad range RT PCR assay was more sensitive than culture for identification of horses with septic synovitis. Further refinement of the RT PCR assay technique may facilitate use in a clinical setting. / Equine Guelph, University of Guelph

A strange and enigmatic collection of myths, lyrical storytelling and fantastic folklore, Zora Neale Hurston's Tell My Horse: Voodoo and Life in Haiti and Jamaica details Hurston's Caribbean travels and journey as initiate into Haitian Voudoun. My thesis engages Hurston's contact with Voudoun as a phenomenon of encounter which begins for her with the complex crossing of rumours, secrets, lies, myths and memories embodied in stories of spirit-possession, secret societies and zombies circulating in Haiti. As Hurston pursues the "truth" of these stories she is caught in an experience of possession which I call "the rumour of Voudoun." This rumour is contagious in that these stories pull her toward the scene of Voudoun ritual and permeate her consciousness. By retracing Hurston's own phenomenon of bodily possession back in and through Voudoun's historicity across the Middle Passage and as a "medium of conspiracy" among the slaves during the rebellious uprisings in colonial Saint Domingue, I will argue that the rumour of Voudoun is a contagious affect by which an insurgent communal consciousness is passed on. The rumour circulates in and through a non-national, affective community in Haiti which continues to survive amid the silent history of anticolonial nationalisms.

The Thoroughbred racehorse is capable of maintaining speeds of approximately 17 m/s for distances of over a mile. This represents an average speed and the Thoroughbred can reach speeds in excess of 20 m/s over short distances. The present series of studies was undertaken to investigate further the metabolic response to high-intensity exercise in the Thoroughbred racehorse. Unlike man, high-intensity exercise in the horse results in an increase in packed cell volume. This in turn causes acute changes in the colligative properties of blood and plasma. The changes in these properties were investigated and the effect on calculation and distribution of metabolites in blood and muscle was determined. The horse has a high capacity for lactate production compared to man and existing methodology for the assessment of muscle buffering capacity in biopsy samples was further developed and investigated. The horse was found to have a significantly higher muscle buffering capacity compared with man and it was calculated that this could be explained wholly on the basis of the higher muscle carnosine content in the horse. The metabolic response to high-intensity exercise was investigated using several exercise models, including single and multiple field gallops and treadmill exercise. A consistent finding was that high-intensity exercise in the Thoroughbred racehorse was nearly always accompanied by a reduction in muscle ATP content. The nature of the ATP decrease was further investigated using a treadmill exercise model. Muscle ATP decrease was found to occur at a particular exercise intensity rather than show a gradual decrease with increasing intensity. The intensity at which muscle ATP content began to decline significantly varied between individual horses, but in each case appeared to coincide with muscle lactate contents of approximately 70 mmol/kg dry muscle. The significance of the decline in ATP is discussed.

There are numerous different white spotting patterns in the horse, including two of particular interest tobiano and sabino. In the mouse, genetic variation in the gene KIT causes many white spotting patterns. Due to the phenotypic similarity among white spotting patterns in horses and mice, KIT was investigated as the cause of the tobiano and sabino spotting patterns in horses. Initially, the KIT cDNA sequences from horses with several spotting patterns were compared. Three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified, though none were associated with a spotting pattern. Three novel splicing variants were also observed: exon 17 skipping, exon 18 skipping and alternative splicing of exon 3. Families segregating for a sabino spotting pattern (designated Sabino 1) and exon 17 skipping were discovered. Sequencing revealed a SNP (KI16+1037) within intron 16 that was completely associated with skipping of exon 17. Using a PCR-RFLP for KI16+1037, linkage was discovered for sabino spotting (LOD=9.02 for =0) and presence of the Sabino 1 allele detected in seven breeds. While all horses with this SNP exhibited the Sabino 1 phenotype, some horses with a sabino phenotype did not possess the SNP. This is most likely due to genetic heterogeneity of the phenotype. Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) was used to investigate the possibility of chromosome inversion in the region of KIT. A chromosomal inversion was discovered spanning ECA3q13 to 3q21 using BAC clones containing KIT and other genes in the same region. The ECA3q inversion was completely associated with Tobiano in the eight horses tested by FISH. This inversion may disrupt regulatory sequences of the KIT gene and thereby cause tobiano spotting. Spotting patterns are important to horse breeders for aesthetic as well as economic reasons. Spotting patterns in the horse may also be an interesting scientific model. The two genetic variants discovered in this work are good examples of genetic diversity due to mechanisms other than SNPs. Study of these variants may be valuable for examining the effects of the KIT gene on health traits. In particular, the KIT gene directs many functions of the mast cell, a cell that is involved in the etiology of inflammation.

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Wången is a trotting school located in Alsen region in Mid Sweden. Currently they keep almost 105 horses in their premises, which produce 2 400 m3 of stall waste per year.  Stall waste has always been a concern for those who keep animals, and though composting has been a viable solution to this problem for quite some time, it is no longer the only solution. Stall waste can be converted to energy and there are different techniques and approaches to do so.  In this study the writer compares the viability of two possible techniques (Biogas and heating plant) by collecting data from two existing biogas and heating plant providers for Wången trotting school. The results show that with almost same amount of investment on the reactors, a heating plant can meet 85% of Wången heating demand while Biogas plant could only meet 10 % of Wången’s heating consumption. On the other hand, as a result of nitrogen bound compound existence in horse manure, burning stall waste in the heating plant showed a more acidifying potential compared to the biogas plant. / Investigation for Wången trotting school