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Using infrared thermography to detect subclinical mastitis in dairy cows in compost barn systems
Nítalo A F Machado1, Lucas B S Da Costa2, José A D Barbosa-Filho2
1Department of Agricultural Engineering, Universidade Federal do Ceará, 60440900, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil; Center of Environment and Agriculture Science, Universidade Federal do Maranhão, 65500-000, Chapadinha, MA, Brazil.
Insights
Infrared thermography (IRT) effectively detects subclinical mastitis in dairy cows by analyzing udder temperatures. Front udder regions showed the strongest correlation with infection, indicating IRT
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Medicine
- Animal Science
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Subclinical mastitis significantly impacts dairy cow health and milk production.
- Early detection of subclinical mastitis is crucial for effective herd management.
- Compost barn systems present unique challenges for disease monitoring in dairy cows.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate infrared thermography (IRT) for detecting subclinical mastitis in dairy cows.
- To assess the efficacy of IRT in commercial compost barn systems.
- To correlate thermal imaging data with milk somatic cell counts (SCC) for infection diagnosis.
Main Methods:
- Twenty-eight crossbred dairy cows in a Brazilian semiarid region were monitored for one week.
- Infrared thermography (IRT) captured thermal images of the udder (fore and rear quarters).
- Milk samples were analyzed for somatic cell count (SCC) to confirm infection.
Main Results:
- Left fore udder temperature (LFUT), rear udder temperature (RUT), and average udder temperature (AUT) showed strong predictive models for SCC (R² = 0.92-0.97).
- Anterior udder regions (LFUT and RFUT) exhibited the highest correlation with SCC (r = 0.87-0.88).
- IRT demonstrated practical utility and good precision in identifying subclinical mastitis.
Conclusions:
- Infrared thermography (IRT) is a viable, non-invasive tool for detecting subclinical mastitis in dairy cows.
- Thermal imaging of the front udder quarters is most effective for mastitis detection.
- Further research is needed to integrate IRT into routine farm management practices for compost barn systems.
Abstract:
This study aimed to evaluate the use of thermal imaging obtained by infrared thermography (IRT) to detect cases of subclinical mastitis in dairy cows under commercial conditions of compost barn systems in a region of Brazil with a semiarid climate. Twenty-eight crossbred cows were evaluated twice a day for one week using IRT. Three thermal images were obtained for each cow, referring to the anatomical regions of the right and left fore udder and rear udder. A computer program was used to analyze the images and obtain the right fore udder temperature (RFUT, °C), left fore udder temperature (LFUT, °C), rear udder temperature (RUT, °C), and average udder temperature (AUT, °C). In addition, samples of milk from each quarter of the udder were collected for somatic cell count (SCC) to correlate the diseases observed on the thermal image with any infection in the udder region. The results obtained using IRT were subjected to regression and correlation analyses. It was observed that LFUT, RAQT, RUT, and AUT were adjusted in quadratic polynomial models with good prediction of SCC (i.e., infection) with R2 = 0.92, 0.97, 0.86, and 0.94, respectively. The region of the anterior quarters of the udder was the most promising for imaging, stronger correlations were obtained between LFUT and RFUT with SCC (r = 0.87 and 0.88, respectively). The IRT is a practical technology capable of detecting cases of mastitis in dairy cows with good precision, especially with thermal images from the anatomical region of the front quarters of the udder. However, more detailed studies are needed to make thermal imaging processing a more useful method for routine activities on farms in compost barn systems.
