Outcome of tactile conditioning of neonates, or "imprint training" on selected handling measures in foals.

Behavioural reactions to selected handling procedures were compared between conditioned, or imprint-trained, and untrained foals raised on the same farm. Nineteen randomly chosen healthy foals were imprint trained at birth and 24 h later (Group A). Twenty-one similar foals that were not imprint-trained served as age-matched controls (Group B).

Two cases of Neorickettsia (Ehrlichia) risticii infection in horses from Nova Scotia.

Two horses from Nova Scotia were diagnosed with Potomac horse fever (PHF). Polymerase chain reaction analysis was performed on formalin-fixed colon tissue or whole blood to show the presence of Neorickettsia risticii DNA, the causative agent of PHF. These are the first reported cases of PHF in the Maritime Provinces.

Use of a real-time polymerase chain reaction-based fluorogenic 5' nuclease assay to evaluate insect vectors of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis infections in horses.

Objective: To develop and use a sensitive molecular assay for detecting the phospholipase D (PLD) exotoxin gene of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis in an attempt to identify insect vectors that may be important in transmission of clinical disease in horses.

Sample Population: 2,621 flies of various species.

Procedure: A real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based fluorogenic 5' nuclease (TaqMan) system (ie, TaqMan PCR assay) was developed for the detection of the PLD gene in insects.