Evaluation of pregnancy-associated glycoproteins for pregnancy diagnosis in Hanwoo

Assays for detecting pregnancy-associated glycoproteins (PAGs) levels in the blood of pregnant cattle have been developed and commercialized to determine pregnancy status. This study was conducted to determine the accuracy of a PAG-based ELISA test for pregnancy detection in Hanwoo. The anticoagulated treated whole blood was sampled from 595 Hanwoo that were 28-71 d (mean 49) and 85-128 d (mean 106) after artificial insemination. At the 2nd blood collection time, a transrectal palpation test was used as the standard for pregnancy diagnosis. For PAGs and the transrectal palpation test (n=595), the sensitivity was 98.4% (pregnancy, 481/489), the specificity was 100% (open, 106/106), and the accuracy was 98.7% (pregnancy+open, 587/595). In conclusion, the rapid PAG-based ELISA pregnancy test was highly sensitive and specific for pregnancy detection in Hanwoo.