NON-INVASIVE SYSTEM FOR MONITORING PHYSIOLOGICAL OR HEALTH STATUS OF ANIMALS BY SAMPLING SALIVA

摘要

In one aspect the present invention provides a non-invasive system for monitoring one or more aspects of the physiological or health status of animals which comprises: a station (1) for receiving an animal to be tested and having a sampling device for taking a sample of the animal's saliva; and a biosensor (20) operatively associated with the saliva sampling device to sense the level of a hormone or other biomarker in the saliva to provide corresponding signals to a storage means or display. Suitably the sampling device is automated and has a saliva sampling tube (5) and a suction device, e.g. pump (7), to draw a sample of saliva therein for analysis and is programmed to do so when an animal presents itself to the sampling station (1). The invention is particularly useful for monitoring for pre-clinical diseases in growing pigs and predicting the timing of ovulation in pigs.