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January 2023

Ash Thanabalan's PhD Defence

Poorly developed immune and digestive systems in neonatal chicks impede smooth transition to the production environment and have a significant impact on lifetime biological and economic performance. Integration of breeder nutrition may bolster perinatal immunocompetence and resiliency to production stressors. The work presented in this thesis investigated the impact of dietary sources of omega -3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) in broiler breeders and their progeny.

Mary Wang's MSc Defence

Butyrate is a short-chain fatty acid with considerable benefits to gut health, and in recent years has been commonly used as an alternative to antimicrobials in agricultural animal production. In this thesis, we assessed the protective effects of sodium butyrate (NaB) on larval zebrafish during a lethal Pseudomonas aeruginosa polysaccharide (LPS) challenge and elucidated potential protective mechanisms of action. Larval zebrafish were pre-treated with 3 concen-trations of NaB for 24 hours at 72 hours post fertilization (hpf), and then immune challenged with 60 μg/mL of LPS at 96 hpf.

Brooke McNeil's MSc Defence

The objective of this dissertation was to investigate if dietary supplements could improve dairy calf health and welfare. The first study was focused on investigating the effects of Echinacea purpurea (EP) supplementation on markers of immunity, health, feed intake, and growth of dairy calves. Overall, EP supplementation was associated with blood markers indicative of reduced inflammation and stimulated immunity, with minor benefits to health and growth.

Renee Bonger's MSc Defence

Bovine leukemia virus (BLV) is the causative agent of enzootic bovine leukosis (leukosis) and is endemic to the North American dairy cattle population. It is a chronic, contagious disease with no available treatment or vaccine, resulting in lifelong infection. Infection with BLV can lead to persistent lymphocytosis and tumour development within two to five year of infection, and is associated with decreased milk production, immune dysregulation, fertility challenges, and reduced longevity.

Lautaro Rostoll Cangiano's PhD Defence

Several components of dairy farm rearing systems are known to affect developmental programming of calves by acting as epigenet-ic regulators, influencing the trajectory of immune system development.

Bryn Van Winters' MSc Defence

The objectives of this thesis were to 1) evaluate the impact of supplementing omega-3 (n3) fatty acids (FA) using calcium salts enriched in fish oil (Ca-FO) during the early postpartum period on the degree and resolution of inflammation using an induced acute inflammation model, and 2) test whether these effects were from an increased energy density of the diet or were due to the effects of n3 FA on immune cell biology. Supplementing Ca-FO was reflected by changes in the FA composition of plasma, milk, and peripheral blood leukocytes.

CGIL Seminar - "Genetic and management analysis of efficiency and body weight data using 3D measures in commercial farms"

Good morning CGIL, We are happy to have with us Dr. Lassen, a Senior Project Manager at VikingGenetics and an Adjunct Associate Professor at Aarhus University, to present this Friday, January 20th, 2023. The seminar will begin at 1:30 PM EDT/EST on the virtual platform Microsoft Teams. The title of the presentation is: "Genetic and management analysis of efficiency and body weight data using 3D measures in commercial farms".

CGIL Seminar - "Advancements in livestock breeding and some thoughts on the future"

Good morning CGIL, We are happy to invite you to a very special IN-PERSON CGIL seminar. We will have Dr. Steve Miller, Director of the Animal Genetics and Breeding Unit (AGBU) at the University of New England, Australia, to present on Thursday January 26th, 2023. The seminar will begin at 2:30 PM EDT/EST at ANNU 141. The title of the presentation is: "Advancements in livestock breeding and some thoughts on the future".
Dr. Luiz Silva webinar

Meat Science and Muscle Biology Club Webinar- Dr. Luiz Silva

We are pleased to announce that a new club has launched within the Ontario Agricultural College at the University of Guelph! The Meat Science and Muscle Biology (MSMB) Club will be holding their first event this Thursday with guest speaker Dr. Luiz Silva from Western Kentucky University. Dr. Silva will be speaking about compensatory growth in beef cattle, and the relative impacts on carcass and meat quality.
virtual beef symposium poster

CGIL Seminar - "Genetics of bone health in laying hens: what you measure or where you measure it?"

Good afternoon CGIL,   This week we are happy to have Dr. Dirk-Jan de Koning, professor in Animal Breeding at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, to present for us on, Friday January 27th, 2023. The seminar will begin at 1:30 PM EDT/EST on the virtual platform Microsoft Teams. The title of the presentation is: "Genetics of bone health in laying hens: what you measure or where you measure it?".

Advanced Equine First Aid Course

The Department of Animal Biosciences is pleased to be hosting a hands-on an advanced equine first aid course at the Equine Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Centre (ESMRC) on Saturday January 28, 2023. This is an add-on course to the Equine First Aid course held last fall but interested participants are not required to have taken that course or have any previous certification.