COMPARATIVE EVALUATION OF IDEXX RAPID VISUAL PAG ELISA TEST AND ULTRASONOGRAPHY FOR EARLY PREGNANCY DIAGNOSIS IN BUFFALOES

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of IDEXX rapid visual PAG ELISA kit for early diagnosis of pregnancy in Buffaloes. The study was carried out with 148 Murrah graded buffaloes in a private dairy farm in Nalgonda district, Telangana state. Artificial Insemination was done for all the buffaloes with good quality frozen thawed semen and breeding records were maintained. Pregnancy diagnosis was done on day 30 post insemination in all animals by means of ultrasonography device with a 5-Mhz Trans rectal probe, Blood samples were collected from all the animals to study the presence of bovine pregnancy-associated glycoproteins (bPAGs) with IDEXX rapid visual kit. The results were determined based on bPAGs levels and it is compared with USG findings. In present study, 54 animals were confirmed pregnant by ultrasonography. In IDEXX rapid visual kit method, 49 buffaloes out of 54 animals were shown positive for pregnancy, while 5 of them were found to show false negative. However, all the animals that were declared non-pregnant based on ultrasonographical findings, showed negative result with the kit. The accuracy rate for pregnancy diagnosis using IDEXX rapid visual PAG ELISA test was 96% in case of pregnancy and 100% in case of non-pregnant status. It can be concluded that the IDEXX rapid visual kit may be utilised as a next option for early pregnancy in buffaloes under field conditions where ultrasound facilities are not available, as the accuracy rate is 100% especially in identifying non pregnant animals.