Barile Vittoria Lucia, Menchetti Laura, Casano Anna Beatrice, Brecchia Gabriele, Melo de Sousa Noelita, Zelli Riccardo, Canali Claudio, Beckers Jean François, Barbato Olimpia
Council for Agricultural Research and Analysis of Agricultural Economics (CREA), Research Centre for Animal Production and Aquaculture, Monterotondo, 00015 Rome, Italy.
Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Bologna, Viale G. Fanin 4, 40137 Bologna, Italy.
Animals (Basel). 2021 Feb 12;11(2):487. doi: 10.3390/ani11020487.
The aim of this work was to find the best strategy to diagnose pregnancy failures in buffalo. A total of 109 animals belonging to a buffalo herd subjected to a synchronization and artificial insemination (AI) program were enrolled in this study. Blood samples were collected at days 0, 14, 25, 28 and 40 after AI for the determination of progesterone (P4) and pregnancy-associated glycoproteins (PAGs) by the radioimmunoassay (RIA) method. Transrectal ultrasonography was performed on day 25, 28 and 40 after AI to monitor pregnancy. The animals included in the data analysis were assigned ex post in pregnant ( = 50) and mortality ( = 12) groups. By ultrasonography, the predictive sign of mortality was the heartbeat. At day 25, the PAGs concentration was significant in predicting embryonic mortality with respect to ultrasonography and P4, at the cut-off of 1.1 ng/mL. At day 28, either PAGs, at a cut-off of 2.2 ng/mL, or ultrasonography, with no detection of heartbeat, were highly predictive of embryonic mortality. PAGs were the best marker ( < 0.05) for predicting embryonic mortality between 25 and 40 days of gestation in buffalo. Its utilization as a diagnostic tool can influence management decisions in order to improve farm reproductive management.
这项工作的目的是找到诊断水牛妊娠失败的最佳策略。本研究纳入了109头参与同期发情和人工授精（AI）计划的水牛。在人工授精后的第0、14、25、28和40天采集血样，采用放射免疫分析（RIA）法测定孕酮（P4）和妊娠相关糖蛋白（PAGs）。在人工授精后的第25、28和40天进行经直肠超声检查以监测妊娠情况。纳入数据分析的动物事后被分为妊娠组（n = 50）和死亡组（n = 12）。通过超声检查，死亡的预测指标是心跳。在第25天，当PAGs浓度截止值为1.1 ng/mL时，相对于超声检查和P4，其在预测胚胎死亡方面具有显著性。在第28天，PAGs浓度截止值为2.2 ng/mL或超声检查未检测到心跳，均高度预测胚胎死亡。PAGs是水牛妊娠25至40天期间预测胚胎死亡的最佳标志物（P < 0.05）。将其用作诊断工具可影响管理决策，以改善农场繁殖管理。
