Remote Body Temperature Monitoring in Infectious Diseases: Pilot Studies in Different Artiodactyla Models

Thermal microchips are increasingly used in animals as an alternative to rectal temperature measurements because handling is not required. These pilot studies aimed to determine the usefulness of orally administered thermal microchips in infectious disease studies of artiodactyla species when a temperature increase was expected. Thermal microchips were administered subcutaneously to two groups of seven alpacas infected with influenza C and D virus respectively and three alpacas serving as non-challenged controls and orally to one alpaca in each group. Three sheep exposed to border disease virus and 12 cattle with experimental bovine tuberculosis when subjected to tuberculin skin testing were also given microchips orally. A temperature rise was observed in microchips and rectal temperatures around the same time in one alpaca and one sheep following infection, but was also recorded in orally administered microchips earlier during the night. A temperature rise was detected in all skin test-positive cattle except for one calf with a negative skin test and the least visible granulomatous lesions in the chest. Orally administered thermal microchips are a promising addition to rectal temperatures to determine body temperature changes in real time regardless of the time of day, to study physiological responses to infectious or immunogenic agents and possibly refine humane end-points in experimental studies. Factors to consider are bolus size, battery power and network connectivity to prevent data gaps (seen in alpaca and sheep) or excretion via feces (in sheep).