A study on the applicability of implantable microchip transponders for body temperature measurements in pigs.
BACKGROUND
The applicability of an electronic monitoring system using microchip transponders for measurement of body temperatures was tested in 6-week-old conventional Danish weaners infected with classical swine fever virus (CSFV). Subcutaneous tissue temperatures obtained by the implantable transponders were compared with rectal temperatures, recorded by a conventional digital thermometer.


METHODS
In a preliminary study, transponders were inserted subcutaneously at 6 different positions of the body of 5 pigs. The transponders positioned by the ear base provided the best correlation to rectal temperature. To test the stability of the monitoring system in a larger group of pigs, transponders were therefore inserted by the left ear base in a subsequent infection experiment with 30 pigs.


RESULTS
Generally, the microchip transponders measured a subcutaneous tissue temperature, which was about 1 degrees C lower than the rectal temperature. However, a simple linear relationship between the measures of the two methods was found.


CONCLUSIONS
Our study showed that the tested body monitoring system may represent a promising tool to obtain an approximate correlate of body temperatures in groups of pigs. In contrast, however, the tested system did not constitute a suitable tool to measure body temperatures of individual animals in the present pig infection experiment.
Lohse
Louise
L
National Veterinary Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Lindholm, DK-4771 Kalvehave, Denmark.
Uttenthal
Ase
A
Enøe
Claes
C
Nielsen
Jens
J
D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D001831:Body Temperature / Q000276:immunology*; D006691:Classical Swine Fever / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D006692:Classical Swine Fever Virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000662:veterinary; D010865:Pilot Projects; D019736:Prostheses and Implants / Q000662:veterinary; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D013552:Swine; D013686:Telemetry / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary*
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D012367:RNA, Viral
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