Background: It would be clinically advantageous to develop a method of body temperature evaluation in cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicularis) that did not require sedation, restraint, surgical manipulation, or expensive equipment.
Methods: Body temperatures of 51 cynomolgus macaques were taken with rectal thermometry and non-contact infrared thermometry (NIFT) on the shoulder, face, abdomen, and axillary region.
Results and conclusions: Body temperature measurements from NIFT were statistically different (P < 0.0001) from rectal thermometry. In addition, there was greater between- and within-subject variability in values using NIFT. There was no correlation between any sites of the NIFT and rectal thermometry. It was concluded that NIFT was not a valid alternative to rectal thermometry in cynomolgus macaques.