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Plasma Concentrations of Pregnancy‐Associated Glycoproteins Measured Using Anti‐Bovine PAG‐2 Antibodies on Day 120 of Gestation Predict Abortion in Dairy Cows Naturally Infected with N eospora caninum
Author(s) -
GarcíaIspierto I,
Almería S,
Serrano B,
Sousa NM,
Beckers JF,
LópezGatius F
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
reproduction in domestic animals
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.546
H-Index - 66
eISSN - 1439-0531
pISSN - 0936-6768
DOI - 10.1111/rda.12134
Subject(s) - pregnancy , abortion , gestation , insemination , herd , zoology , medicine , biology , obstetrics , genetics
Contents The present study sought to determine: (i) the effects of N eospora caninum infection and twin pregnancy on plasma pregnancy‐associated glycoprotein‐2 ( PAG ‐2) concentrations throughout pregnancy and (ii) whether plasma PAG ‐2 concentrations could predict abortion in N . caninum‐ infected cows. The study was performed on a commercial H olstein‐ F riesian dairy herd in northeastern Spain and the final data included those recorded in 53 non‐aborting and 19 aborting animals. Blood samples were collected immediately before pregnancy diagnosis (on Days 40, 90, 120, 150, 180 and 210 post‐insemination) in non‐aborting cows or until the time of abortion detection in aborting cows. General lineal models (GLM) repeated measures anova revealed the different behaviour of PAG ‐1 and PAG ‐2, and significant effects of N eospora seropositivity, cool season and twin pregnancy on plasma PAG ‐2 concentrations throughout gestation (between‐subject effects). In addition, based on the odds ratios, the likelihood of abortion increased in N eospora ‐seropositive cows (by a factor of 7.0) compared to seronegative animals and decreased in cows with a high plasma PAG ‐2 concentration (>4.5 ng/ml) on Day 120 of pregnancy (by a factor of 0.24), compared to the remaining cows. In conclusion, there is a relationship between plasma PAG ‐2 concentrations and the risk of abortion in N eospora ‐infected dairy cows. Thus, plasma PAG concentrations measured using anti‐bo PAG ‐2 antiserum on D ay 120 of gestation could serve as an indicator of the abortion risk in N . caninum infected animals; values <4.5 ng/ml indicating a high risk of abortion in chronically infected animals.