Evaluation of infrared thermography, force platform and filmed locomotion score as non-invasive diagnostic methods for acute laminitis in zebu cattle.
Authors: Sousa Rejane Dos Santos, de Oliveira Francisco Leonardo Costa, Dias Mailson Rennan Borges, Minami Natalia Sato, Amaral Leonardo do, Minervino Antonio Humberto Hamad, Shecaira Carolina de Lara, Bombardelli Juliana Aparecida, Benesi Fernando José, Ortolani Enrico Lippi
Journal: PloS one
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Non-Invasive Laminitis Diagnostics in Cattle Researchers at the University of São Paulo investigated how effectively four different assessment methods could detect acute laminitis in zebu cattle, using experimentally induced disease in 29 Nelore heifers to establish reliable diagnostic protocols. Animals received escalating doses of oligofructose over four days to trigger laminitis, then underwent systematic evaluation via hoof-testing (pain sensitivity), filmed locomotion analysis, infrared thermography, and force plate analysis at regular intervals up to 72 hours post-induction. Of the 27 heifers that developed laminitis (93.1% success rate), filmed locomotion scoring proved most diagnostically valuable, achieving 100% sensitivity and 98% accuracy when hoof-testing was used as the gold standard; infrared thermography demonstrated strong sensitivity (96%) but modest specificity (63%), whilst force plate analysis showed the poorest performance at 76% sensitivity and 79% accuracy. The findings suggest that pain-based evaluation remains gold standard, though the authors acknowledge this method's practical limitations in handling beef cattle breeds, making filmed locomotion analysis and thermography valuable non-invasive alternatives for farm-based lameness screening. Equine practitioners should note these results may not directly translate to horses given species differences in anatomy and pain expression, but the comparative methodology provides a useful framework for evaluating diagnostic tool reliability in performance animals where early laminitis detection is economically critical.
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Practical Takeaways
- •For cattle laminitis diagnosis on beef farms where pain assessment is difficult, filmed locomotion scoring is the most reliable non-invasive method—use it as your primary screening tool
- •Infrared thermography is sensitive but generates many false positives; use it as a supplementary tool only, not for definitive diagnosis
- •Force plate analysis requires specialized equipment but may be useful in research settings or high-value animals where objective gait metrics guide treatment decisions
Key Findings
- •27 of 29 zebu heifers (93.1%) developed oligofructose-induced laminitis between 24-72 hours post-induction, with preference for lateral digits
- •Locomotion scoring achieved 100% sensitivity, 97% specificity, and 98% accuracy for laminitis diagnosis compared to hoof-testing gold standard
- •Infrared thermography (≥30°C cutoff) showed 96% sensitivity but only 63% specificity (75% accuracy), with false positives limiting clinical utility
- •Force platform analysis had lowest diagnostic performance (76% sensitivity, 82% specificity, 79% accuracy) but offered objective quantification of weight-bearing asymmetry