Abstract：
Mastitis is a global threat that challenges dairy farmers\' economies worldwide. Sub-clinical mastitis (SCM) beholds the lion\'s share in it, as its visible clinical signs are not evident and are challenging to diagnose. The treatment of intramammary infection (IMI) demands antimicrobial therapy and subsequent milk withdrawal for a week or two. This context requires a non-invasive diagnostic tool like infrared thermography (IRT) to identify mastitis. It can form the basis of precision dairy farming. Therefore, the present study focuses on thermal imaging of the udder and teat quarters of Murrah buffaloes during different seasons to identify SCM and clinical mastitis (CM) cases using the Darvi DTL007 camera. A total of 30-45 lactating Murrah buffalo cows were screened out using IRT regularly throughout the year 2021-22. The IMI was further screened using the California mastitis test. The thermogram analysis revealed a significant difference (p < 0.01) in the mean values of the udder and teat skin surface temperature of Murrah buffaloes between healthy, SCM, and CM during different seasons. The mean values of udder skin surface temperature (USST) during different seasons ranged between 30.28 and 36.81 °C, 32.54 to 38.61 °C, and 34.32 to 40.02 °C among healthy, SCM, and CM-affected quarters. Correspondingly, the mean values of teat skin surface temperature (TSST) were 30.52 to 35.96 °C, 32.92 to 37.55 °C, and 34.51 to 39.05 °C, respectively. Further results revealed an increase (p < 0.01) in the mean values of USST during winter, summer, rainy, and autumn as 2.26, 4.04; 2.19, 3.35; 1.80, 3.21; and 1.45, 2.64 °C and TSST as 2.40, 3.99; 2.28, 3.26; 1.59, 3.09; and 1.68, 2.92 °C of SCM, CM-affected quarters to healthy quarters, respectively. The highest incidence of SCM was observed during autumn and CM during winter. Henceforth, irrespective of the seasons studied in the present study, IRT is an efficient, supportive tool for the early identification of SCM.
摘要：
乳腺炎是一个全球性威胁，挑战全球奶农的经济。亚临床乳腺炎(SCM)在其中占有最大份额，因为其可见的临床体征不明显，诊断具有挑战性。乳房内感染（IMI）的治疗需要抗菌治疗，随后停奶一到两周。这种情况需要像红外热成像(IRT)这样的非侵入性诊断工具来识别乳腺炎。它可以形成精准奶牛养殖的基础。因此,本研究的重点是在不同季节对Murrah水牛的乳房和乳头区域进行热成像，以使用DarviDTL007相机识别SCM和临床乳腺炎（CM）病例。在2021-22年期间，定期使用IRT筛选出总共30-45头泌乳Murrah水牛。使用加州乳腺炎试验进一步筛查IMI。热谱图分析显示，健康之间的Murrah水牛乳房和乳头皮肤表面温度的平均值存在显着差异（p<0.01）。SCM,和CM在不同的季节。不同季节乳房皮肤表面温度（USST）的平均值介于30.28和36.81°C之间，32.54至38.61°C，在健康人群中，温度为34.32至40.02°C，SCM,和受CM影响的季度。相应地,乳头皮肤表面温度（TSST）的平均值为30.52至35.96°C，32.92至37.55°C，和34.51至39.05°C，分别。进一步的结果表明，冬季USST的平均值增加（p<0.01），夏天,下雨,秋季为2.26、4.04；2.19、3.35；1.80、3.21；和1.45、2.64°C，TSST为2.40、3.99；2.28、3.26；1.59、3.09；SCM的1.68、2.92°C，受CM影响的季度到健康的季度，分别。秋季SCM发生率最高，冬季CM发生率最高。从今以后,无论本研究中研究的季节如何，IRT是一种高效的，早期识别SCM的支持工具。
