Hamasaki S, Yamauchi K, Ohki T, Murakami M, Takahara Y, Takeuchi Y, Mori Y
Wildlife Management Office, Kawasaki-city, Kanagawa, Japan.
J Vet Med Sci. 2001 Feb;63(2):195-8. doi: 10.1292/jvms.63.195.
The feasibility of fecal steroid analysis for pregnancy diagnosis and sex determination were tested in sika deer (Cervus nippon). Feces were collected from captive sika deer in June (non-breeding season and late-pregnancy period) and October (breeding season), and also from the rectum of 24 female sika deer (19 pregnant and 5 non-pregnant females) shot as part of programs for population control in February and March (mid-pregnancy period). In mid- and late-pregnancy periods, fecal progesterone concentrations were significantly higher in pregnant female than in male and non-pregnant female deer. In October, fecal testosterone concentrations were higher in adult male deer, and no difference was found between young males and females. These results suggest that fecal steroid analysis would be a useful means for estimating pregnancy status and for detecting adult male among wild deer.
对梅花鹿（Cervus nippon）粪便类固醇分析用于妊娠诊断和性别鉴定的可行性进行了测试。在6月（非繁殖季节和妊娠后期）和10月（繁殖季节）收集了圈养梅花鹿的粪便，还在2月和3月（妊娠中期）作为种群控制计划的一部分射杀的24只雌性梅花鹿（19只怀孕和5只未怀孕雌性）的直肠中采集了粪便。在妊娠中期和后期，怀孕雌性梅花鹿粪便中的孕酮浓度显著高于雄性和未怀孕雌性梅花鹿。在10月，成年雄性梅花鹿粪便中的睾酮浓度较高，而年轻雄性和雌性之间没有差异。这些结果表明，粪便类固醇分析将是估计野生鹿群妊娠状态和检测成年雄性的有用手段。
