Comparison of body surface temperature measurement and conventional methods for measuring temperature in the mouse.

Temperature is a valuable parameter used to judge wellness of animals in a research setting; therefore, reliable, noninvasive, and inexpensive methods for monitoring temperature are becoming a necessity in research laboratories. A new method for obtaining temperature in mice, the measurement of body surface temperature via an external probe, was compared to two more common methods, the rectal probe and telemetry. The comparisons of the temperature measuring devices were performed in mice made hypothermic via prolonged anesthesia and in mice made hyperthermic by injection of endotoxin. The results demonstrated good correlation between the surface temperature measurements and the temperatures obtained by both telemetry and the rectal probe. The correlations were particularly significant when core body temperatures were below normal. In addition, the surface probe compared favorably with the other methods with regard to animal stress, observed complications, and initial cost. These results suggest that the surface probe could provide an efficient means for obtaining valuable physiological data and determining humane endpoints.