Biology subjects

Burghardt, T.

Publications and source records attributed to Burghardt, T..

2 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2024

Accelerometer-derived classifiers for early detection of degenerative joint disease in cats

Decreased mobility is a clinical sign of degenerative joint disease (DJD) in cats, which is highly prevalent, with 61% of cats aged six years or older showing radiographic evidence of DJD. Radiographs can reveal morphological changes and assess joint degeneration, but they cannot determine the extent of pain experienced by cats. Additionally, there is no universal objective assessment method for DJD-associated pain in cats. Developing an accurate evaluation model could enable earlier treatment, slow disease progression, and improve cats well-being. This study aimed to predict early signs of DJD in cats using accelerometers and machine learning techniques. Cats were restricted to indoors or limited outdoor access, including being walked on a lead or allowed into enclosed areas for short periods. Fifty-six cats were fitted with collar-mounted sensors that collected accelerometry data over 14 days, with data from 51 cats included in the analysis. Cat owners assessed their cats mobility and assigned condition scores, validated through clinical orthopaedic examinations. The study group comprised 24 healthy cats (no owner-reported mobility changes) and 27 unhealthy cats (owner-reported mobility changes, suggestive of early DJD). Data were segmented into 60-second windows centred around peaks of high activity. Using a Support Vector Machine (SVM) algorithm, the model achieved 78% (confidence interval: 0.65, 0.88) area under the curve (AUC), with 68% sensitivity (0.64, 0.77) at 75% specificity (0.68, 0.79). These results demonstrate the potential of accelerometry and machine learning to aid early DJD diagnosis and improve management, offering significant advances in non-invasive diagnostic techniques for cats.

animal behavior and cognition↗

bioRxiv2020

Accurate and interpretable prediction of poor health in small ruminants with accelerometers and machine learning

Assessment of the health status of individual animals is a key step in the timely and targeted treatment of infections, which is critical in the fight against anthelmintic and antimicrobial resistance. The FAMACHA scoring system has been used successfully to detect anaemia caused by infection with the parasitic nematode Haemonchus contortus in small ruminants and is an effective way to identify individuals in need of treatment. However, assessing FAMACHA is labour-intensive and costly as individuals must be manually examined at frequent intervals. Here, we used accelerometers to measure the individual activity of extensively grazing small ruminants (sheep and goats) exposed to natural Haemonchus contortus worm infection in southern Africa over long time scales (13+ months). When combined with machine learning, this activity data can predict poorer health (increases in FAMACHA score), as well as those individuals that respond to treatment, all with precision up to 83%. We demonstrate that these classifiers remain robust over time. Interpretation of trained classifiers reveals that poorer health significantly affects the night-time activity levels in the sheep. Our study thus reveals behavioural patterns across two small ruminant species, which lowcost biologgers can exploit to detect subtle changes in animal health and enable timely and targeted intervention. This has real potential to improve economic outcomes and animal welfare as well as limit the use of anthelmintic drugs and diminish pressures on anthelmintic resistance in both commercial and resource-poor communal farming.

animal behavior and cognition↗