Detection of pregnancy-associated glycoproteins in milk and blood as a test for early pregnancy in dairy cows.

The objective of our study was to evaluate 2 pregnancy-associated glycoprotein (PAG)-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) for use with either blood or milk. From 12 dairy farms, 116 Montbéliarde or Holstein cows were selected that had either undergone artificial insemination (AI; n = 102) or had calved (n = 14) 2-3 months earlier and had not undergone any further AI. Serum, plasma, and milk were obtained from all cows; serum and plasma were analyzed using the blood pregnancy test and milk using the milk pregnancy test.

A pregnancy detection assay using milk samples: evaluation and considerations.

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate a pregnancy-detection assay based on the measurement of pregnancy-associated glycoproteins (PAG) in milk samples. In experiment 1, milk samples were collected on the day of first pregnancy check (33-52 d postinsemination; n=119) or second check (60-74 d postinsemination; n=60). The accuracy in identification of pregnant and nonpregnant cows was 99% at first check.

Evaluation of a commercial blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to detect avian influenza virus antibodies in multiple experimentally infected avian species.

Wild birds of the orders Anseriformes and Charadriiformes are the natural reservoirs for avian influenza (AI) viruses. Traditionally, AI virus surveillance in wild birds has relied on virus identification strategies, including virus isolation and detection. To evaluate the accuracy of a commercial blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (bELISA) and the agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) test for detection of antibodies in wild birds, which is indicative of AI virus infection, we tested 281 serum samples from various wild avian species that were experimentally infected with AI viruses.