The Swedish Livestock Research Centre is an important facility for research and teaching. On an average ten projects are running daily at the research centre.
Read about some ongoing research projects. For more projects, please see the Swedish version of this page.
The objective of the project is to, based on an innovative multi-sensor technology for image sensors, develop a robust easy-to-use system for monitoring animal health, which will ease livestock management and research, improve animal health, and reduce environmental impact.
Niclas Högberg, niclas.hogberg@slu.se, tel. +4618672381
Ulf Emanuelson, ulf.emanuelson@slu.se, tel. +4618671826
Mastitis, an inflammation of the udder, is most commonly caused by infection, with Staphylococcus aureus being the most frequently isolated bacterium. Udder infections with S. aureus lead to reduced milk production and are known to cause chronic infections. Furthermore, mastitis increases workload for farmers, reduces milk quality, decreases the productive lifespan of dairy cows, and often results in premature culling. In Sweden, mastitis is the leading reason for antibiotic treatment in dairy cows. The inflammatory response in mastitis causes pain and reduces the well-being of affected animals. At the same time, the inflammatory reaction is a critical component of the immune defense against the pathogen. From an animal welfare perspective, it is important to detect and limit pain. Both farmers and veterinarians agree that severe mastitis is painful, but while studies suggest that cows experience pain even with mild or subclinical mastitis, opinions differ on the extent of pain in these conditions.
Sickness behaviour encompass physiological and behavioural changes observed during infection or inflammation. These include reduced appetite, decreased social activity, lethargy, and altered grooming patterns, offering valuable insights into animal health and disease progression. The planned experiment primarily involves the experimental inoculation of vaccinated and non-vaccinated animals with inactivated S. aureus to evaluate the protective effect of the test vaccine. Additionally, the study aims to investigate behavioural changes and pain-related behaviour exhibited by the animals in response to vaccination and exposure to S. aureus.
Josef Dahlberg, josef.dahlberg@slu.se, +4618671686
Niclas Högberg, niclas.hogberg@slu.se
Lotta Jönsson, Research and Education Coordinator the Swedish Livestock Research Centre, SLU lotta.jonsson@slu.se, +4618673217
Johanna Grundin, Research and Education Coordinator the Swedish Livestock Research Centre, SLU johanna.grundin@slu.se, +4618671698
Linnea Eberson, Research and Education Coordinator the Swedish Livestock Research Centre, SLU linnea.eberson@slu.se, +4618672948