Dvornicky-Raymond Zachary T, Donnelly Kyle A, Emerson Jessica A, Penfold Linda M, Citino Scott B
Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA,
White Oak Conservation, Yulee, FL 32097, USA.
J Zoo Wildl Med. 2021 Jan;51(4):926-932. doi: 10.1638/2020-0106.
This study evaluated the use of a commercially available, visual enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for diagnosis of pregnancy in okapi (), gerenuk (), eastern giant eland ( spp. ), and dama gazelle (). This assay has been validated for use in domestic cattle, sheep, goats, and water buffalo. Unlike other blood-based pregnancy associated glycoprotein (PAG) detection methods, this assay does not require sophisticated laboratory equipment for detection or interpretation and can therefore be utilized in many settings. Banked serum samples from gerenuk ( = 11), giant eland ( = 4), dama gazelle ( = 33) and okapi ( = 3) were tested, and a pregnant and nonpregnant sample from each individual were included. The ELISA showed 100% sensitivity and specificity in gerenuk and giant eland samples, and 0% sensitivity in dama gazelle and okapi samples. Using this assay, pregnancy was detected by 7-8 wk gestation in gerenuk and 6 wk in giant eland. These results are consistent with previous studies that were able to accurately detect pregnancy in other members of the family Bovidae, but it is possible that PAGs present in okapi and dama gazelle are structurally dissimilar relative to the intended test target, and are therefore unrecognizable using this test. The faint positivity in the dama gazelle assays may be due to cross-reactivity with other proteins in the sample, or due to inconsistent binding with the dama gazelle PAG. This ELISA appears to be an accurate, rapid, and inexpensive method of point-of-care pregnancy diagnosis in gerenuk and giant eland, but not okapi and dama gazelle. Additional studies should be pursued to further characterize the limits of pregnancy detection using this assay in gerenuk and giant eland, and to investigate the validity of this test in other nondomestic ruminant species.
本研究评估了一种市售的可视化酶联免疫吸附测定（ELISA）用于霍加狓、长颈羚、东部长颈羚属和小鹿瞪羚妊娠诊断的情况。该测定法已被验证可用于家牛、绵羊、山羊和水牛。与其他基于血液的妊娠相关糖蛋白（PAG）检测方法不同，该测定法不需要复杂的实验室设备进行检测或解读，因此可在多种环境中使用。对长颈羚（n = 11）、长颈羚属（n = 4）、小鹿瞪羚（n = 33）和霍加狓（n = 3）的冻存血清样本进行了检测，每个个体均包含一份妊娠和非妊娠样本。ELISA在长颈羚和长颈羚属样本中显示出100%的敏感性和特异性，而在小鹿瞪羚和霍加狓样本中敏感性为0%。使用该测定法，在长颈羚中妊娠7 - 8周时可检测到妊娠，在长颈羚属中6周时可检测到妊娠。这些结果与之前能够准确检测牛科其他成员妊娠的研究一致，但霍加狓和小鹿瞪羚中存在的PAG在结构上可能与预期的检测靶点不同，因此使用该检测方法无法识别。小鹿瞪羚测定中的微弱阳性可能是由于与样本中其他蛋白质的交叉反应，或者是与小鹿瞪羚PAG的结合不一致所致。这种ELISA似乎是一种准确、快速且廉价的现场妊娠诊断方法，适用于长颈羚和长颈羚属，但不适用于霍加狓和小鹿瞪羚。应开展进一步研究，以进一步明确该测定法在长颈羚和长颈羚属中检测妊娠的限度，并研究该检测方法在其他非家养反刍动物物种中的有效性。
