Strategies and mechanisms of thermal compensation in newborn water buffaloes

Hypothermia is one of the principal causes of perinatal mortality in water buffaloes and can range from 3% to 17.9%. In ruminants, factors affecting hypothermia in newborns may be of intrinsic (e.g., level of neurodevelopment, birth weight, vitality score, amount of brown fat, skin features) or extrinsic origin (e.g., maternal care, environmental conditions, colostrum consumption). When newborn buffaloes are exposed to cold stress, thermoregulatory mechanisms such as peripheral vasoconstriction and shivering and non-shivering thermogenesis are activated to prevent hypothermia. Due to the properties of infrared thermography (IRT), as a technique that detects vasomotor changes triggered by a reduction in body temperature, evaluating the central and peripheral regions in newborn buffaloes is possible. This review aims to analyze behavioral, physiological, and morphological strategies and colostrum consumption as thermal compensation mechanisms in newborn water buffalo to cope with environmental changes affecting thermoneutrality. In addition, the importance of monitoring by IRT to identify hypothermia states will be highlighted. Going deeper into these topics related to the water buffalo is essential because, in recent years, this species has become more popular and is being bred in more geographic areas.

Fil: Mota Rojas, Daniel. Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana; México

Fil: Braghieri, Ada. Università degli Studi della Basilicata; Italia

Fil: Ghezzi, Marcelo Daniel. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; Argentina

Fil: Ceriani, Maria Carolina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tandil. Centro de Investigación Veterinaria de Tandil. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Centro de Investigación Veterinaria de Tandil. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comision de Investigaciones Científicas. Centro de Investigación Veterinaria de Tandil; Argentina

Fil: Martínez Burnes, Julio. Universidad Autónoma de Tamaulipas; México

Fil: Lendez, Pamela Anahí. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tandil. Centro de Investigación Veterinaria de Tandil. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Centro de Investigación Veterinaria de Tandil. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comision de Investigaciones Científicas. Centro de Investigación Veterinaria de Tandil; Argentina

Fil: Pereira, Alfredo M. F.. Universidad de Évora; Portugal

Fil: Lezama-García, Karina. Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana; México

Fil: Domínguez Oliva, Adriana. Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana; México

Fil: Casas-Alvarado, Alejandro. Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana; México

Fil: Sabia, Emilio. Università degli Studi della Basilicata; Italia

Fil: Pacelli, Corrado. Università degli Studi della Basilicata; Italia

Fil: Napolitano, Fabio. Università degli Studi della Basilicata; Italia