Comparison of ultrasonography, bovine pregnancy-specific protein B, and bovine pregnancy-associated glycoprotein 1 tests for pregnancy detection in dairy cows.
At Days 26 to 58 after AI, 138 Holstein-Friesian dairy cows were repeatedly examined by ultrasonography, using a 7.5 MHz linear-array rectal transducer. The total calving rate was 37.6% (52/138), and late embryonic mortality occurred 8.6% of the cows (12/138). On the days of ultrasound scanning, blood samples were drawn from the jugular vein for measuring the concentration of bovine pregnancy-specific protein B (bPSPB) and bovine pregnancy-associated glycoprotein 1 (bPAG 1). When compared with calving results, there were no significant differences in accurate diagnosis of pregnant cows were found between the 3 methods. However, when recognition of an embryo proper with a beating heart was used as the criterion for positive ultrasonographic diagnosis significantly fewer (P < 0.001) pregnant cows were correctly identified than by the other 2 tests. When compared with the noncalving cows, significantly fewer (P < 0.001) false positive diagnoses were made by the 2 ultrasonographic tests than by the PSPB and bPAG 1 tests, while significantly fewer (P < 0.001) false positive diagnoses were made by the bPSPB test than by the bPAG 1 test. The accuracy of detecting nonpregnant animals by both protein tests was limited by the relatively long half-life of these proteins after calving and by early embryonic mortality.
Szenci
O
O
University of Veterinary Science, Department of Obstetrics and Reproduction, Budapest, Hungary.
Beckers
J F
JF
Humblot
P
P
Sulon
J
J
Sasser
G
G
Taverne
M A
MA
Varga
J
J
Baltusen
R
R
Schekk
G
G
D000818:Animals; D016282:Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases / Q000097:blood*; D002417:Cattle / Q000097:blood*; D003612:Dairying / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D011247:Pregnancy; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D011258:Pregnancy Tests / Q000662:veterinary*; D011270:Pregnancy, Animal / Q000097:blood*; D011863:Radioimmunoassay / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary
D011257:Pregnancy Proteins; D016282:Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases; C094766:pregnancy-associated glycoprotein 1