Evaluation of Usefulness of Infrared Thermography for the Detection of Mastitis Based on Teat Skin Surface Temperatures in Dairy Cows

Abstract

Given the severe economic losses due to mastitis, the identification of a diagnostic tool that can rapidly screen cows suspected of mastitis immediately before milking would be especially advantageous for farmers owning a large number of dairy cows. It is important to detect mastitis at an early stage to ensure effective and successful prevention and management of intramammary infections. Therefore, this study evaluated utility of Infrared Thermography (IRT) as a diagnostic tool for mastitis based on the heat patterns of thermal images. We found that 49 (1–4 teats in 16 cows) of the 252 teats were suspected of mastitis and 203 teats appeared normal. Our results showed that cows suspected of mastitis presented teat skin surface temperature (TSST) values that were 5.05°C higher, on average, then those of healthy cows. Moreover, TSST values were well correlated with both high somatic cell count values (r=0.99; P<0.001) and California mastitis test scores (r=0.59; P<0.001), indicating that TSST temperature monitoring using IRT could represent an easy and reliable method for screening for mastitis in dairy cows breeding farms.