Monday, 09 March 2020
Artificial intelligence could help vets to more accurately diagnose the origin of mastitis on dairy herds, according to a new study from experts at the University of Nottingham.
The new study, published today in Scientific Reports, has found that machine learning has the potential to enhance and improve a veterinarian’s ability to accurately diagnose herd mastitis origin and reduce mastitis levels on dairy farms.
Mastitis is an extremely costly endemic disease of dairy cattle, costing around £170 million in the UK. A crucial first step in the control of mastitis is identifying where mastitis causing pathogens originate; does the bacteria come from the cows’ environment or is it contagiously spread through the milking parlour?
This diagnosis is usually performed by a veterinarian by analysing data from the dairy farm and is a cornerstone of the widely used Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) mastitis control plan, however this requires both time and specialist veterinary training.
Cow
Machine learning algorithms are widely used, from filtering spam emails and the suggestion of Netflix movies to the accurate classification of skin cancer. These algorithms approach diagnostic problems as a student doctor or veterinarian might; learning rules from data and applying them to new patients.
This study, which was led by veterinarian and researcher Robert Hyde from the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science at the University of Nottingham, aims to create an automated diagnostic support tool for the diagnosis of herd level mastitis origin, an essential first step of the AHDB mastitis control plan.
Mastitis data from 1,000 herds’ was inputted for several three-month periods. Machine learning algorithms were used to classify herd mastitis origin and compared with expert diagnosis by a specialist vet.
The machine learning algorithms were able to achieve a classification accuracy of 98% for environmental vs contagious mastitis, and 78% accuracy was achieved for the classification of lactation vs dry period environmental mastitis when compared with expert veterinary diagnosis.
Mastitis is a huge problem for dairy farmers, both economically and in welfare terms. In our study we have shown that machine learning algorithms can accurately diagnose the origin of this condition on dairy farms. A diagnostic tool of this kind has great potential in the industry to tackle this condition and to assist veterinary clinicians in making a rapid diagnosis of mastitis origin at herd level in order to promptly implement control measures for an extremely damaging disease in terms of animal health, productivity, welfare and antimicrobial use.”
A full copy of the study – ‘Automated diagnosis of mastitis infection patterns in dairy herds using machine learning’ – is available here.
Story credits
More information is available from Dr Robert Hyde at robert.hyde1@nottingham.ac.uk
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
More news…