Pregnancy diagnosis in owl monkeys (Aotus trivirgatus): evaluation of the hemagglutination inhibition test for urinary chorionic gonadotropin.

The Subhuman Primate Pregnancy Test was evaluated as a means of detecting urinary chorionic gonadotropin to aid in pregnancy diagnosis in owl monkeys. Using radioimmunoassay, the excretion pattern of chorionic gonadotropin from pregnant owl monekys was delineated, the hormone being detected from 16 weeks prepartum until birth. By comparison, the pregnancy test kit detected chorionic gonadotropin between the fourteenth week prepartum and the last week of gestation with 94% accuracy. In a 2-year study using a simplified urine collection technique, the Subhuman Primate Pregnancy Test was shown to be a valuable procedure for diagnosing pregnancy and detecting spontaneous abortions in owl monkeys.