Vol. 10, Issue 2, Part A (2025)

Author(s): Mansoor Nabi, Najeeb ul Tarfain, Mohd. Isfaqul Hussain, Junaid Mehraj, Faheemudin, Mahesh Kuchana and Arham Qureshi

Abstract: Infrared thermography (IRT) is a non-invasive, rapidly emerging technology with potential for the early detection of bovine mastitis. This study evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of IRT for identifying subclinical and clinical mastitis in dairy cows. Milk somatic cell count (SCC) exceeding 200,000 cells/mL served as the gold standard for infection. IRT demonstrated moderate sensitivity (65%) and high specificity (84%) for subclinical mastitis detection. For clinical cases, both sensitivity (86.11%) and specificity (89%) were higher. IRT detected significant temperature variations between body and udder skin surface primarily in clinical cases. Approximately 35% of subclinical cases with elevated SCC (>200,000 cells/mL) did not exhibit appreciable temperature changes on the udder surface. Ambient temperature also affected udder skin surface temperature (USST). In crossbred cows with constant body temperature (37.1 °C ± 0.4 °C), mean USST for healthy quarters averaged 36.90 °C ± 0.3 °C and 37.10 °C ± 0.2 °C at ambient temperatures of 15 °C and 30 °C, respectively. For infected quarters, mean USSTs were 37.90 °C ± 0.4 °C and 38.20 °C ± 0.2 °C in subclinical and clinical cases, respectively, at the same constant core body temperature.