title: Investigation of body and udder skin surface temperature differentials as an early indicator of mastitis in Holstein Friesian crossbred cows using digital infrared thermography technique.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to investigate the ability of infrared thermography (IRT) technique and its interrelationship with conventional mastitis indicators for the early detection of mastitis in Holstein Friesian (HF) crossbred cows.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 76 quarters of lactating HF crossbred (Bos indicus×Bos taurus) cows (n=19) were monitored for body temperature (i.e., eye temperature) and udder skin surface temperature (USST) before milking using forward-looking infrared (FLIR) i5 camera. Milk samples were collected from each quarter and screened for mastitis using Somatic Cell Count (SCC), Electrical Conductivity (EC), and California mastitis test. Thermographic images were analyzed using FLIR Quick Report 1.2 image analysis software. Data on body and USST were compiled and analyzed statistically using SPSS 16.0 and Sigmaplot 11.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean±standard deviation (SD) body (37.23±0.08°C) and USST (37.22±0.04°C) of non-mastitic cow did not differ significantly; however, the mean USST of the mastitis-affected quarters were significantly higher than the body temperature and USST of unaffected quarters (p<0.001). The mean±SD USST of the subclinical mastitis (SCM) and clinical mastitis-affected quarters were 38.08±0.17 °C and 38.25±0.33 °C, respectively, which is 0.72 and 1.05 °C higher than the USST temperature of unaffected quarters. The USST was positively correlated with EC (r=0.95) and SCC (r=0.93). The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed a higher sensitivity for USST in early prediction of SCM with a cut-off value of >37.61°C.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is concluded that infrared thermal imaging technique could be used as a potential noninvasive, quick cow-side diagnostic technique for screening and early detection of SCM and clinical mastitis in crossbred cows.
authors.affiliation: Livestock Research Centre, Southern Regional Station, Indian Council of Agricultural Research - National Dairy Research Institute, Adugodi, Bengaluru - 560 030, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sathiyabarathi
authors.affiliation: Livestock Research Centre, Southern Regional Station, Indian Council of Agricultural Research - National Dairy Research Institute, Adugodi, Bengaluru - 560 030, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jeyakumar
authors.affiliation: Livestock Research Centre, Southern Regional Station, Indian Council of Agricultural Research - National Dairy Research Institute, Adugodi, Bengaluru - 560 030, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Manimaran
authors.affiliation: Dairy Engineering Section, Southern Regional Station, Indian Council of Agricultural Research - National Dairy Research Institute, Adugodi, Bengaluru - 560 030, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: Heartwin A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Pushpadass
authors.affiliation: Dairy Economics and Statistics, Southern Regional Station, Indian Council of Agricultural Research - National Dairy Research Institute, Adugodi, Bengaluru - 560 030, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sivaram
authors.affiliation: Dairy Production Section, Southern Regional Station, Indian Council of Agricultural Research - National Dairy Research Institute, Adugodi, Bengaluru - 560 030, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: K P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Ramesha
authors.affiliation: Dairy Production Section, Southern Regional Station, Indian Council of Agricultural Research - National Dairy Research Institute, Adugodi, Bengaluru - 560 030, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: D N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Das
authors.affiliation: Dairy Production Section, Southern Regional Station, Indian Council of Agricultural Research - National Dairy Research Institute, Adugodi, Bengaluru - 560 030, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: Mukund A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Kataktalware
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Nutrition, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy - 680 651, Kerala, India.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jayaprakash
authors.affiliation: Livestock Production and Management Section, Indian Council of Agricultural Research - National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal - 132 001, Haryana, India.
authors.forename: Tapas Kumar
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Patbandha
keywords: diagnosis; lactating cows; mastitis; temperature