Mouse Body Temperature Measurement Using Infrared Thermometer During Passive Systemic Anaphylaxis and Food Allergy Evaluation
September 14th, 2018
Here we present a new method to accurately measure body temperature differences in passive systemic anaphylaxis (PSA) and food allergy mouse models using an infrared thermometer. This procedure has been accurately duplicated in previous PSA results.
This methodology helps address key questions in the field of allergy and immunology, specifically those that are regarding phenotypes that may be associated with body temperature changes. The main advantages of this technique are that it is inexpensive, non-invasive, and does not require anesthesia. The implications of this technique allow researchers to reduce the stress and pain of mice during temperature measurement while eliminating the effects of anesthesia, and/or to visualize behavioral phenotypes.
To measure the mouse body temperature after anesthesia, confirm sedation by respiratory rate or immobility and grasp the mouse by the nape of the neck with an index finger and thumb and the tail with a pinky finger. While holding the mouse parallel to the lab bench surface, place an infrared thermometer sensor below the lower abdomen with the outer flat surface of the thermometer two to five millimeters away from the surface of the abdomen between the two upper nipples. Then depress the trigger of the thermometer to measure the temperature of the animal, taking care to keep the mouse and the thermometer steady.
To measure the mouse body temperature without anesthetic, pick the mouse up by the middle of the tail and expose the abdomen. Allow the mouse to hold on to a straight edge surface with its forepaws and hold the trigger to measure the temperature. Alternatively, allow the mouse to hold on to the upper straight edge of the thermometer and make the mouse sit on the outer flat surface of the thermometer with it's abdomen just over the infrared sensor during the temperature measurement.
For a passive systemic anaphylaxis sensitization use a one milliliter syringe equipped with a 26 gauge needle to inject 200 microliters of freshly prepared Anti-Dinitrophenol, or DNP, IgE in PBS, into the peritoneum of each recipient animal just lateral to the midline between the most inferior and second most inferior nipples. 24 hours after injection, measure the body temperature of each recipient animal as demonstrated, and load a one milliliter syringe equipped with a 30 gauge needle with 100 microliters of freshly prepared DNP human serum albumin. To induce passive systemic anaphylaxis, insert the needle on the medial side of the eye at a shallow angle aiming behind the eye, and inject the entire volume of solution intravenously into the retro-orbital venous sinus.
Then place the mouse alone in a recovery cage with monitoring until full recumbency, and measure the body temperature and activity every 10 minutes for 70 minutes. IgE sensitized mice demonstrate a maximum temperature drop of three degrees Celsius at 20 minutes while PBS control mice exhibit a maximum drop of 1.1 degrees Celsius within the same time period after challenge. Behavioral observations can also be performed in non-anesthetized animals to assess the relationship between the observed temperature drops and the mouse activity.
In this representative mouse food-allergy challenge, the PBS control group demonstrated a significant temperature drop 10 minutes after challenge compared to the 2CA inhibitor treated group. Evaluation of the activity scores and temperature drops from this food allergy challenge revealed a statistically significant correlation between the two sets of data. Following this procedure, other experiments involving mouse body temperature measurements can be performed to answer additional questions regarding behavioral phenotypes that are associated with body temperature change.
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Overview
This article presents a new method for measuring body temperature differences in mouse models of passive systemic anaphylaxis and food allergy using an infrared thermometer. The technique is non-invasive and has been successfully replicated in previous studies.
Key Study Components
Area of Science
- Allergy
- Immunology
Background
- Body temperature changes can be indicative of allergic reactions.
- Traditional methods of measuring temperature may involve stress and anesthesia.
- Non-invasive techniques are preferred for ethical reasons.
Purpose of Study
- To introduce a cost-effective and humane method for measuring mouse body temperature.
- To facilitate research on phenotypes associated with body temperature changes during allergic reactions.
Methods Used
- Use of an infrared thermometer for temperature measurement.
- Measurement technique that minimizes stress on the animal.
- Confirmation of sedation through respiratory rate or immobility.
- Specific positioning of the thermometer for accurate readings.
Main Results
- The method allows for accurate temperature readings without anesthesia.
- Reduces stress and pain for the mice during the measurement process.
- Enables visualization of behavioral phenotypes related to temperature changes.
Conclusions
- This technique is a significant advancement in allergy and immunology research.
- It provides a reliable alternative to traditional temperature measurement methods.
- Future studies can benefit from this non-invasive approach.
Frequently Asked Questions
Executive Industry Relevance
Non-invasive temperature monitoring in murine allergy models enables concurrent assessment of physiological and behavioral phenotypes without anesthetic confounders. This approach improves data fidelity in mechanistic studies of anaphylaxis and food allergy by preserving natural animal states during measurement. The method supports target validation and phenotypic screening workflows where thermal response correlates with immune activation.
Strategic Applications in Biopharma R&D
Early Discovery & Target Validation
- Scientific Value: Enables interrogation of therapeutic hypotheses linking immune mediators to temperature dynamics in passive systemic anaphylaxis models.
- Operational Value: Provides reliable temperature trends without anesthesia, reducing variability from sedative effects on immune responses.
- Predictive Value: Supports mechanistic de-risking by confirming that surface temperature trends mirror core temperature changes during allergic challenges.
Screening & Assay Development
- Scientific Value: Delivers quantitative, reproducible surface temperature readouts suitable for high-throughput screening of immunomodulatory compounds.
- Operational Value: Eliminates anesthesia-dependent bottlenecks, allowing longitudinal monitoring of temperature and activity in awake animals.
- Assay Readiness: Enables standardized thermal phenotyping across food allergy and anaphylaxis models with minimal technical variability.
Translational & Preclinical Research
- Translational Continuity: Facilitates correlation of temperature drops with behavioral activity scores, supporting biomarker-linked phenotypic analysis in allergy models.
- Preclinical Modeling: Supports disease-relevant system use by enabling repeated thermal measurements during challenge and recovery phases.
- Risk-Adjusted Decisions: Provides objective thermal endpoints for go/no-go evaluations in preclinical allergy therapeutic screening.
Pipeline & Workflow Integration
This method integrates into discovery biology workflows by enabling real-time thermal monitoring during immune challenge assays, bridging phenotypic observation with mechanistic insight.
- Discovery Biology: Supports hypothesis testing on cytokine-mediated thermoregulation during anaphylaxis without anesthetic interference.
- Screening: Enables assay standardization through non-contact, repeatable temperature measurements in conscious murine models.
- Analytics: Generates quantitative thermal trends that correlate with clinical symptom severity and immune activation kinetics.
- Translational Research: Connects temperature dynamics to activity-based phenotypes, enhancing predictive confidence in allergy model translatability.
- Enterprise Reuse: Represents a scalable, low-cost capability for repeated use across immunology and allergy discovery platforms.
Operational & Enterprise Impact
- Scientific Value: Increases predictive confidence by revealing unconfounded relationships between temperature change and immune-mediated phenotypes.
- Operational Value: Enhances reproducibility and throughput by removing anesthesia-dependent steps in temperature monitoring workflows.
- Strategic Value: Improves capital efficiency by enabling multi-parameter phenotyping (temperature + behavior) in single-animal assays.
- Portfolio Impact: Supports risk-adjusted target prioritization through objective thermal response metrics in allergy model validation.
Implementation Considerations
- Requires training in proper infrared thermometer positioning and distance maintenance for accurate surface readings.
- Depends on consistent environmental conditions to minimize thermal drift during longitudinal measurements.
- Necessitates cross-team standardization of measurement protocols between immunology and behavioral phenotyping groups.
- Involves adaptation considerations for different mouse strains, coat colors, and body surface properties affecting infrared emissivity.
- Involves practical limitations in measuring temperature through fur or in animals with abnormal postures during behavioral observation.
