KSEF R&D Excellence: Remote, Continuous Temperature Detection in Beef Cattle

The ability to remotely, continuously, and non-invasively measure body temperature in cattle has a variety of implications with tremendous potential economic impact both within Kentucky and nationally. We propose a series of four experiments to evaluate a novel device which merges radio frequency identification (RFID) and microelectro mechanical systems (MEMS) into a system for monitoring cattle health. These experiments will address the following specific objectives: 1) evaluate the RFID/MEMS temperature monitoring device relative to the use of established methods with tympanic probes and ruminal bolus temperature measurement devices at thermoneutral conditions; 2) characterize the response in body temperature measurements under conditions of elevated ambient temperatures, using the same three devices and measurement locations as for objective 1; 3) Determine the ability of each of the measurement systems to detect pyresis in cattle following lipopolysaccharide challenge; and 4) determine the ability of each of the measurement systems to monitor animal body temperatures and detect pyresis under field conditions. If successful, this device could prove invaluable as a diagnostic tool for disease management in cattle as well as providing ancillary benefits in electronic identification. Furthermore, our studies will provide the first validation of this technological solution to remote temperature sensing in live animals, with potential implications for monitoring various physiological variables in human medical applications.