Monitoramento de marcadores comportamentais para detecção de mastite subclínica em vacas leiteiras

Abstract

Mastitis is one of the most common and harmful diseases that dairy cows can develop. This condition directly affects the well-being of the affected animal and also causes a negative economic impact on producers, besides affecting the quantity and quality of milk produced. Electronic monitoring of behavioral and health markers can allow the detection of subtle changes before obvious clinical signs appear. The aim of this study was to investigate and identify behavioral alterations in rumination, activity, panting, and rest, recorded using an electronic monitoring system in dairy cows with subclinical mastitis (SCM). Based on the findings of a general clinical examination of 188 lactating cows, 10 cows with subclinical mastitis (SCM group) and 10 clinically healthy cows (control group) (without clinical signs of any diseases) were selected. The behaviors of rumination, activity, panting, and rest were recorded using sensors in electronic monitoring collars C-TECH (Chipinside®, Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil) connected to the CowMed system. Data were recorded for 29 days: 14 days before SCM diagnosis, on the day of diagnosis, and 14 days after SCM diagnosis, and were compared with control group data for the same period. The control group showed lower rumination, panting, and rest times (p<0.05), but a significant increase in activity time compared to the SCM group during both periods (p<0.05). The obtained results were distributed in two articles, which are presented below.