title: Progesterone and estradiol-17β as a potential method for pregnancy diagnosis in the collared peccary (Pecari tajacu).
abstract: In this study, the period of pregnancy of nine collared peccary females has been monitored through the analysis of serum progesterone and estradiol-17β profiles. Serum concentrations of progesterone increased by Day 4 after conception, reaching concentrations of 33.4±5.6 ng/mL on Day 10. Between Days 10 and 130 progesterone values were maintained between 20 and 60 ng/mL. In the collared peccary, embryonic estradiol synthesis is first observed in the systemic circulation by Day 15 of pregnancy. Between Days 0 and 50 of pregnancy, average estradiol-17β concentrations were between 0 and 30 pg/mL. From Day 75 of pregnancy onwards, estradiol concentrations were constantly increasing, reaching maximum concentrations (131.4±40.8 pg/mL) on the day of parturition. The combined study of serum progesterone and estradiol-17β concentrations as a potential method for early pregnancy diagnosis presented the best overall accuracy (73%) when the threshold was established at 20 ng/mL serum progesterone and 20 pg/mL serum estradiol. Nevertheless, the accuracy for diagnosing pregnancy of females at mid and late pregnancy was 78% and 95%, respectively. The analysis of the sexual hormones during pregnancy could be a useful tool as a potential pregnancy diagnosis and an efficient predictor of the day of parturition in the captive collared peccary.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Health and Anatomy, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Universitat Autonòma de Barcelona, E-08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain. mayorpedro@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mayor
authors.forename: Diva Anelie
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Guimarães
authors.forename: Manel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: López-Béjar
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001188:Artiodactyla / Q000097:blood* / Q000502:physiology; D004958:Estradiol / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D011247:Pregnancy; D011374:Progesterone / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D011374:Progesterone; D004958:Estradiol