Diagnosis Of Cow Research Articles

Pregnancy diagnosis in cows and heifers by determination of oestradiol-17α in faeces

The concentration of unconjugated oestradiol-17α was measured in faeces of 21 non-pregnant animals and of 39 cows and heifers between the 10th and 25th week of gestation. After the 14th week of gestation all pregnant animals secreted significantly more oestradiol-17α in the faeces than non-pregnant animals. This is a possible method therefore for the confirmation of pregnancy not only in cows but also in heifers.

Development of a direct enzyme immunoassay of milk progesterone and its application to pregnancy diagnosis in cows

The purposes of this study were to develop an enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for determination of progesterone in unextracted whole milk and to apply it to pregnancy diagnosis. Paper fibers covalently coupled to antibody specifically and competitively bound 3H-progesterone and 11α-hydroxyprogesterone hemisucccinate-horseradish peroxidase and were stable for 9 mo at −20°C. The sensitivity, recovery, precision, and cross reactivity of the EIA and a radioimmunoassay (RIA) of milk progesterone were evaluated, and showed that this EIA was comparable to the RIA. Milk samples were collected once daily for one estrous cycle from ten lactating Holstein cows and the progesterone levels were determined by RIA. Milk progesterone in 70 samples measured by EIA were highly correlated (r = 0.90) with the values of RIA for the same samples. Milk samples for pregnancy diagnosis by EIA of milk progesterone were obtained daily from days 20 to 24 after 115 artificial inseminations of 85 lactating Holstein cows. Pregnancy diagnosis by EIA was confirmed by rectal palpation at 30 to 60 days after insemination or return to estrus. The accuracy based on single, two, three, four, and five consecutive samples was from 67.2 to 80.0%, 77.3 to 84.0%, 79.2 to 87.5%, 82.0 to 85.4%, and 85.4%, respectively, for pregnancy diagnosis; and from 95.0 to 98.3% for nonpregnancy.

Use of milk progesterone enzyme immunoassay for early pregnancy diagnosis in cows

An enzyme immunoassay using β-galactosidase as the tracer was applied to determine milk progesterone level in cows. The novel method was reliable and practicable and required only a spectrophotometer and a centrifuge as major equipment. The milk progesterone enzyme immunoassay successfully diagnosed early pregnancy in cows. Milk samples were collected from 268 Holstein-Friesian cows in commercial dairy herds on 20, 21 or 22 days(usually 21 days) after insemination. Progesterone level in skim milk higher than 1.0 ng/ml indi-cated pregnancy. Pregnancy was confirmed by rectal palpation on 60 to 120 days after insemination. The accuracy of the milk progesterone test was 60.0 % ( 132 220 ) for a positive diagnosis and 100 % ( 48 48 ) for a negative result. A high incidence of embryonic death, 27.9 % ( 51 183 ), may have reduced accuracy for a positive test result. The enzyme immunoassay may be an alternative to radioimmunoassay in milk progesterone analysis for pregnancy diagnosis.

Pregnancy diagnosis in cattle by a rapid and highly reliable method for progesterone determination in milk

A highly reliable technique for the determination of progesterone in milk has been developed, and its application to pregnancy diagnosis in cows is reported. The method is characterized by an activated charcoal treatment of the samples, extraction of the absorbed progesterone by an organic solvent, followed by RIA. The application of the method to pregnancy diagnosis, 21--23 days after artificial insemination, shows that 5 ng/ml is the most useful value to discriminate between pregnant and non-pregnant animals, with greatest precision on the 21st day, in that 93.5% of pregnant and 100% of non-pregnant animals were correctly diagnosed.

Factors Affecting Progesterone in Milk for Pregnancy Diagnosis in Dairy Cattle

Concentration of progesterone in milk was used to diagnose pregnancy in 508 dairy cows. Diagnosis of cows as pregnant and not pregnant by milk progesterone on day 21 post-breeding had 76 and 98% agreement, respectively, with diagnosis by palpation or return to oestrus. Overall agreement was 85%. Fourteen cows were classified as questionable. Of cows returning to oestrus after 30 days post-breeding, 64% were determined to be not pregnant by milk progesterone on day 21. Breed of cow did not affect the accuracy of diagnosis. Use of either extracted or non-extracted milk for progesterone analysis gave similar results for pregnancy diagnosis. Diagnosis by concentration of progesterone in milk was not improved by expressing progesterone as progesterone per unit fat or progesterone per milking. Pregnancy diagnosis by progesterone determination in milk at day 21 or day 23 post-breeding had a greater percentage agreement with diagnosis by palpation than diagnosis by milk progesterone on day 19, day 25, day 27, or day 29 post-breeding.

Measurement of electric resistance of the vaginal mucus as an aid for heat detection

This is a review of a series of investigations of the electric resistance of the vaginal or cervical mucus as an indication of the optimum time for conception during the estrous cycle in cows, sheep, pigs, and bitches. For the purpose of differential diagnosis in cows, measurements were made during different stages of pregnancy and in pathologic conditions of the genital organs. A probe containing two electrodes and an Ohmmeter to measure resistance of electric current was developed. There was a distinct relationship between the resistance measurements and the stages of the estrous cycle in the cow. The lowest values were observed during estrus and coincided with the optimal time for breeding. In ovariectomized animals no changes in resistance were observed. After treatment with estrogen, resistance levels dropped to levels similar to those observed in intact animals at the time of estrus. Pathologic conditions of the genital organs, such as follicular cysts and endometritis, resulted in values corresponding to those observed during estrus. In sheep and pigs, there was a similar correlation between resistance of cervical and vaginal secretions and the estrous cycle. In contrast, very high Ohm values were observed in the bitch during estrus, probably because of the mixture of blood in the mucus. The intravaginal measurement of resistance of vaginal or cervical secretions seems to be a useful method for objectively determining estrus. The method offers opportunities for estrus determination, not only in single animals but in large populations under field conditions. The determination of the optimal time for conception in individual animals still remains difficult due to the need for repeated measurements with the presently available instrument. Telemetric approaches have been successfully tested and offer possibilities for future development of instruments which would constantly monitor resistance and transmit to a recording instrument.

INTESTINAL BIOPSY IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF COW'S MILK PROTEIN INTOLERANCE WITHOUT ACUTE SYMPTOMS

4 infants, suspected of cow's milk protein intolerance, were placed on an elimination diet and then challenged with cow's milk. None reacted clinically, yet in 2 of the 4 patients jejunal biopsy revealed clear histological, ultrastructural, and immunological changes. It is suggested that these changes are the objective criteria on which the diagnosis of cow's milk intolerance should be based, and that the clinical evidence derived from milk challenge after an elimination diet may be unreliable.

Proceedings: Pregnancy diagnosis in cows: use of progestagen concentration in milk

Proceedings: Pregnancy diagnosis in cows: use of progestagen concentration in milk

Pregnancy diagnosis in cows; changes in milk progesterone concentration during the oestrous cycle and pregnancy measured by a rapid radioimmunoassay

SummaryThe progestagen concentration of milk was measured in cows, at various times of the reproductive cycle by a competitive protein binding procedure and by radioimmunoassay. The apparent progesterone concentration was found to be significantly greater in milk (P <0–05) than in plasma, probably due to the presence of an unidentified metabolite(s). A simple, rapid radioimmunoassay was developed to measure directly the progestagen concentration in milk. A mean concentration of about 1 ng/ml at oestrus (or mating) increased, 20–24 days later, to 3–4 ng/ml in cows subsequently found to be non-pregnant and to about 7 ng/ml in pregnant animals. The possible application of this analytical procedure as the basis of a method of pregnancy diagnosis is discussed.

MILK ALLERGY

In a series of 172 infants under 2 years of age who were referred for allergy studies during 1954-1956, 109 were found to be allergic. Thirty-three of the one hundred nine allergic infants were sensitive to cow's milk, with an incidence of 30%. The diagnosis of cow's milk allergy was based upon the same criteria applied to a series of well babies. Namely, repeated production of one or more allergic symptoms on exposure to cow's milk, improvement on withdrawal, and with no other apparent cause for improvement, confirmed by positive skin test, and without other cause for symptoms. The allergic symptoms due to milk were eczema, gastrointestinal abnormalities and less frequently asthma or rhinitis. Scratch tests were frequently positive to foods. Thirty-seven infants reacted with positive skin tests to milk, of whom 33 had clinical allergy to milk. Infants from 9 to 12 months of age had the highest number of nonspecific skin reactions.