Infrared thermography as a technique for detecting subclinical bovine mastitis

Abstract

Infrared thermography is a non-invasive diagnostic tool for early detection of subclinical mastitis in pasture-raised dairy cows. The study was conducted on eight dairy farms, in Sena Madureira, Acre, in the Western Amazon, during the rainy season. One hundred and thirteen lactating crossbred cows were monitored, with measurements performed once a day before milking, from 02:00 to 06:00 in the morning. The California Mastitis Test (CMT) was subsequently applied. Data processing was performed in the R programming language and evaluated by linear models. Our results show that cow udder surface temperature by infrared thermography showed significant differences (p<0.05) between the months of the year. Cow udder temperatures of thermographic images were significantly different (p<0.05) from CMT results for animals with subclinical mastitis. CMT results showed that 45 cows (39.8%) in January, 52 cows (46%) in February and 57 cows (50.4%) in March had subclinical mastitis. Infrared thermography is a technique that can be used for the early detection of subclinical mastitis in dairy herds in a grazing system, as it detected an increase in the udder surface temperature of the same cows that were positive for CMT.

Characterization of Thermal Patterns Using Infrared Thermography and Thermolytic Responses of Cattle Reared in Three Different Systems during the Transition Period in the Eastern Amazon, Brazil

“…In this context, some indices help in determining the resulting influences of these production systems, such as the Temperature and Humidity Index (THI), the Black Globe Temperature and Humidity Index (BGTI), the Benezra Thermal Comfort Index (BTCI), the Environmental Stress Index (ESI), the Temperature Equivalent Index (ETI), and the Iberian Heat Tolerance Index (Iberian HTI), calculated according to meteorological variables and physiological parameters [3][4][5][6][7]. Thus, in livestock, infrared thermography has proven to be a valuable tool for monitoring animal health and well-being, allowing for the detection of thermal anomalies, the identification of injuries, the evaluation of the thermal performance of installations, and support for the early diagnosis of health, thus providing a more efficient and precise approach to the management and care of herds [8][9][10][11].…”

Thermal Comfort of Nelore Cattle (Bos indicus) Managed in Silvopastoral and Traditional Systems Associated with Rumination in a Humid Tropical Environment in the Eastern Amazon, Brazil

“…In this context, infrared thermography appears to be a non-invasive method capable of capturing the surface temperature of animals and helping to identify the increase in temperature [ 2 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 ]. Infrared thermography has proven to be a non-invasive and accurate technique capable of identifying changes in surface temperature, as well as preventing animal stress and promoting animal welfare [ 17 , 18 , 30 , 31 , 32 ].…”

Haptoglobin Electrochemical Diagnostic Method for Subclinical Mastitis Detection in Bovine Milk

“…Moreover, a good understanding of mastitis infection is crucial for the development of an integrated control program [11]. An approach that meets these requirements was presented by Oliveira et al: They developed a non-invasive diagnostic tool for mastitis based on measurement of cow udder temperature by infrared thermography [12]. However, such technology faces obstacles, such as the udder surface temperature variation between the months of the year.…”