Early detection of inflammation and infection using infrared thermography

• US 7,277,744 B2
• Filed: 05/27/2003
• Issued: 10/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alan K.W. Tong, Allan L. Schaefer, Pierre Lacasse, Shannon L. Scott
• Original Assignee: Alan K.W. Tong, Allan L. Schaefer, Pierre Lacasse, Shannon L. Scott
• Inventors: LaCasse, Pierre, Schaefer, Allan L., Tong, Alan K. W., Scott, Shannon L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith; Ruth S.
• Application Number:
  US10/445,997
• Publication Number:
  US 20040019269A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,589 Days
• Field of Search: 600/474, 600/549, 382/128, 382/131, 374/10, 374/100, 374/120, 374/121, 374/129, 128/922
• US Class Current: 600/474
• CPC Class Codes: A01J 5/0138 by using temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 25/72 Investigating presence of flaws

Abstract

The present invention provides a method for the detection of inflammation in animals using infrared thermography. The invention also provides a method for the detection of diseases or disorders that induce inflammation using infrared thermography. The present invention further provides a method for the detection of infections in animals using infrared thermography.

Claims

1. A method for detecting infection of an animal, comprising the steps of:

(a) scanning a selected anatomical structure selected from a mammary gland, an eye, a nose or an ear of the animal with an infrared camera to obtain an infrared thermographic image of the selected anatomical structure of the animal;

(b) processing the image to provide a measure of temperature information selected from a measure of central tendency, a measure of dispersion, or total temperature for only a portion of the image representing the selected anatomical structure;

(c) comparing the measure of the temperature information to a predetermined value, the predetermined value being a measure of central tendency, a measure of dispersion, or total temperature obtained from only a portion of one or more infrared thermographic images representing the same selected anatomical structure of either the same animal pre-infection or the same selected anatomical structure of a population of uninfected animals of the same species; and

(d) detecting subclinical, early or clinical infection of the animal if the measure of the temperature information is greater than the predetermined value by at least a predetermined amount.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the animal is a mammal.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein an infection is detected if the measure of the temperature information is a change in the mean temperature greater than 0.5°

C. of the selected anatomical structure relative to the mean temperature of the same anatomical structure of the same animal preinfection.

4. The method according to claim 3, which comprises detecting early or subclinical infection of the animal if the measure of the temperature information is a change in the mean temperature of less than 1°

C. of the selected anatomical structure relative to the mean temperature of the same anatomical structure of either the same animal preinfection, or a population of uninfected animals of the same species.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein an infection is detected if the measure of the temperature information is a change in the mean temperature greater than 1°

C. of the selected anatomical structure relative to the mean temperature of the same anatomical structure of the same animal preinfection.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein an infection is detected if the measure of the temperature information is a change in the mean temperature greater than 0.5°

C. of the selected anatomical structure relative to the mean temperature of the same anatomical structure in a population of uninfected animals of the same species.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein an infection is detected if the measure of the temperature information is a change in the mean temperature greater than 1°

C. of the selected anatomical structure relative to the mean temperature of the same anatomical structure in a population of uninfected animals of the same species.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the infection being detected is mastitis, the animal is a mammal and the selected anatomical structure is a mammary gland.

9. The method according to claim 8, comprising the steps of:

(a) obtaining one or a plurality of infrared thermographic images of the mammary gland of the mammal, wherein the one or a plurality of infrared thermographic images provide the measure of the temperature information representative of the mammary gland;

(b) comparing the measure of the temperature information representative of the mammary gland to the predetermined value; and

(c) detecting the presence of mastitis in the mammal if the measure of the temperature information is greater than the predetermined value by the predetermined amount.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the predetermined value is selected from the group consisting of:

(i) the measure of the temperature information of the mammary gland of the same mammal unaffected by mastitis; and

(ii) the measure of the temperature information of the mammary gland of a population representative of the mammal, wherein the population comprises mammals unaffected by mastitis.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the measure of the temperature information is a measure of central tendency.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the measure of central tendency is a mean.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the predetermined amount is at least 0.1°

C.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the predetermined amount is greater than 0.5°

C.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein the predetermined amount is greater than 1°

C.

16. The method according to claim 10, wherein the plurality of images are obtained successively over time to identify the mammal as having mastitis if the change over time of the measure of the temperature information provided by the plurality of images is greater than a predetermined rate.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein said predetermined rate is 0.1°

C. per hour.

18. The method according to claim 10, wherein the mammal is a non-human mammal.

19. The method according to claim 10, wherein the mammal is selected from a cow, pig, horse, dog or cat.

20. The method according to claim 10, wherein the mammal is of the species Bos taurus or Bos indicus.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the mammary gland is an udder.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein a first image is obtained of one quarter of the udder at time 0 and a second image is obtained of the same quarter of the udder at a later time.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein a total temperature of the first image and a total temperature of the second image are determined.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein mastitis is detected if the total temperature of the first image differs from the total temperature of the second image by greater than the predetermined amount.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein the total temperature of the first image is determined by multiplying the area represented by the first image by the mean of the temperature information provided by the first image, and the total temperature of the second image is determined by multiplying the area represented by the second image by the mean of the temperature information provided by the second image.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein the predetermined amount is 10%.

27. The method according to claim 24, wherein the mammal is a non-human mammal.

28. The method according to claim 24, wherein the mammal is of the species Bos taurus or Bos indicus.

29. The method according to claim 21, wherein a first image is obtained of one frontal quarter or one rear quarter of the udder, and a second image is obtained of the other frontal quarter or the other rear quarter of the udder.

30. The method according to claim 29, wherein a total temperature of the first image and a total temperature of the second image are determined.

31. The method according to claim 30, wherein mastitis is detected if the total temperature of the first image differs from the total temperature of the second image by greater than the predetermined amount.

32. The method according to claim 31, wherein the total temperature of the first image is determined by multiplying the area represented by the first image by the mean of the temperature information provided by the first image, and the total temperature of the second image is determined by multiplying the area represented by the second image by the mean of the temperature information provided by the second image.

33. The method according to claim 32, wherein said predetermined amount is 10%.

34. The method according to claim 31, wherein the mammal is a non-human mammal.

35. The method according to claim 31, wherein the mammal is of the species Bos taurus or Bos indicus.

36. The method according to claim 1, wherein the infection being detected is bovine viral diarrhea and the selected anatomical structure is the eye, the nose or the ear.

37. The method according to claim 36, wherein the selected anatomical structure is the eye, and the measure of temperature information is the mean, the mean being based on maximum temperatures of the eye.

38. The method according to claim 1, wherein the selected anatomical structure is selected from a lateral eye, a frontal nose, a frontal ear or a posterior surface of a mammary gland.

39. A method for the detection of inflammation of a selected anatomical structure of an animal, comprising:

(a) scanning the selected anatomical structure of the animal with an infrared camera to obtain an infrared thermographic image of the selected anatomical structure of the animal;

(b) processing the image to provide a mean temperature for only a portion of the infrared thermographic image representing the selected anatomical structure;

(c) comparing the mean temperature from step (b) to a mean temperature of only the same selected anatomical structure of either the same animal or a population of animals of the same species obtained from only a portion of one or more infrared thermographic images representing the same selected anatomical structure taken when there was no inflammation of the same selected anatomical structure; and

(d) either detecting early or subclinical inflammation of the anatomical structure of the animal if there is a change in the mean temperature of less than 1°

C., or detecting late stage development of inflammation of the anatomical structure of the animal if there is a change in the mean temperature of greater than 1°

C.

40. A method for detecting infection of an animal, comprising the steps of:

(a) scanning a selected anatomical structure selected from a tissue, a joint, a lateral side or a dorsal side of the animal with an infrared camera to obtain an infrared thermographic image of the selected anatomical structure of the animal;

(b) processing the image to provide a measure of temperature information selected from a measure of central tendency, a measure of dispersion, or total temperature for only a portion of the image representing the selected anatomical structure;

(c) comparing the measure of the temperature information to a predetermined value, the predetermined value being a measure of central tendency, a measure of dispersion, or total temperature obtained from only a portion of one or more infrared thermographic images representing the same selected anatomical structure of either the same animal pre-infection or the same selected anatomical structure of a population of uninfected animals of the same species; and

(d) detecting subclinical, early or clinical infection of the animal if the measure of the temperature information is greater than the predetermined value by at least a predetermined amount.