Department of Animal Breeding, Institute of Animal Science, Warsaw University of Life Sciences (WULS - SGGW), Warsaw, Poland.
Department of Large Animal Diseases and Clinic, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences (WULS - SGGW), Warsaw, Poland.
Reprod Domest Anim. 2021 Oct;56(10):1315-1328. doi: 10.1111/rda.13994. Epub 2021 Aug 16.
Infrared thermography is a non-invasive technique which allows to distinguish between pregnant and non-pregnant animals. Detecting accurate body surface temperatures can be challenging due to external factors altering thermograph measurements. This study aimed to determine the associations between the ambient temperature, the hair coat features and the temperatures of mares' abdomens. It compared pregnant and non-pregnant mares throughout 11 months. The research was carried out on 40 Konik Polski mares, which were divided into pregnant and non-pregnant groups. The temperature (Tmax, maximal; Taver, average; Tmin, minimal) of the mares' abdomen was evaluated in two regions of interest: the whole area of the lateral surface of the mares' abdomen (Px1) and the flank area of the lateral surface of mares' abdomen (Px2). During the increasing period, the slopes in the linear regression equation did not differ significantly for ambient (Tamb) and surface temperatures in both groups. In the decreasing period, the slopes did not differ significantly for Tamb and Tmax in the non-pregnant group. They also did not differ for Tamb and Taver in Px1 and Tamb and Tmin in Px1 in both pregnant and non-pregnant groups respectively. Other slopes varied significantly (p < .001). There was no evidence of parallel changes in hair coat features and measured temperatures. The flank area appears more suitable for thermal imaging in pregnant mares due to the seasonal fluctuations in hair coat lengths.
红外热成像技术是一种非侵入性技术，可用于区分怀孕和未怀孕的动物。由于外部因素会改变热图测量值，因此准确检测体表温度可能具有挑战性。本研究旨在确定环境温度、毛发特征与母马腹部温度之间的关系。它比较了怀孕和未怀孕的母马在 11 个月中的情况。该研究在 40 匹波兰马科尼克马（Konik Polski）上进行，这些马被分为怀孕和未怀孕两组。评估了母马腹部两个感兴趣区域的温度（Tmax，最大；Taver，平均；Tmin，最小）：母马腹部外侧表面的整个区域（Px1）和母马腹部外侧表面的侧肋区域（Px2）。在增加期，两组的环境温度（Tamb）和表面温度的线性回归方程斜率没有显著差异。在下降期，非怀孕组的 Tamb 和 Tmax 斜率没有显著差异。在怀孕和未怀孕组中，Px1 的 Tamb 和 Taver 以及 Px1 的 Tamb 和 Tmin 的斜率也没有显著差异。其他斜率则有显著差异（p<.001）。毛发特征和测量温度之间没有证据表明有平行变化。由于毛发长度的季节性波动，肋部区域在怀孕母马的热成像中似乎更适用。
