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A radio transmission pH measurement system for continuous evaluation of fluid pH in the rumen of cows

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Abstract

We developed a novel wireless radio transmission pH measurement system to continuously monitor ruminal bottom pH in cows, and compared these measurements to pH values determined by a spot-sample method. The wireless system consists of a pH sensor, data measurement receiver, relay unit, and personal computer with special software. The bullet-shaped sensor can be easily administered orally via a catheter into the rumen, without surgery. The glass electrode, using a temperature compensation system, can detect the rumen fluid pH with high accuracy. The ruminal bottom pH in healthy rumen-fistulated cows was measured as 6.52 ± 0.18 by the wireless system and as 6.62 ± 0.20 by the spot-sample method; with a correlation between pH measurements using these different methods (n = 8, 24 samples, r = 0.952, P < 0.01). When measured serially in a cow fed a diet evoking rumen acidosis, the ruminal bottom pH decreased markedly following the morning feeding and then increased gradually by the next morning feeding. This wireless system is a ready-to-use tool for estimating circadian changes in ruminal bottom pH.

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Acknowledgements

Financial support for this project was provided by the Research Institute for Animal Science in Biochemistry and Toxicology.

Conflict of interest statement

None of the authors have a financial or personal relationship with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence or bias the content of the paper.

Ethics

We declare that all experiments comply with the current laws of Japan, wherein this study was conducted.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Agriculture, Iwate University, 3-18-8 Ueda, Morioka, 020-8550, Japan

    Shigeru Sato, Tomoaki Anan, Norio Yamagishi & Keiji Okada

  2. United Graduate School of Veterinary Science, Gifu University, Gifu, 501-1193, Japan

    Atsushi Kimura

  3. DKK-Toa Yamagata Co, Shinjo, Yamagata, 996-0053, Japan

    Hitoshi Mizuguchi & Kazunori Ito

Authors
  1. Shigeru Sato
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  2. Atsushi Kimura
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  3. Tomoaki Anan
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  4. Norio Yamagishi
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  5. Keiji Okada
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  6. Hitoshi Mizuguchi
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  7. Kazunori Ito
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shigeru Sato.

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Sato, S., Kimura, A., Anan, T. et al. A radio transmission pH measurement system for continuous evaluation of fluid pH in the rumen of cows. Vet Res Commun 36, 85–89 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11259-012-9518-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11259-012-9518-x

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