INVESTIGATIONS CONCERNING THE USE OF PROGESTERONE TESTS (SEROZYME(R)-PROGESTERONE, OVUCHECK(R)) FOR PREGNANCY DIAGNOSIS OF MOUNTAIN SHEEP

To determine the oestrous cycle length of mountain sheep 10 ewes were stimulated with intravaginal sponges (Chronogest(R)) and ten with prostaglandines (Iliren(R)) and a PMSG injection (500 IU), respectively. Independent of the synchronisation mode the Serozyme(R)-progesterone levels indicated a cycle length of 17 days. Progesterone was not detectable by the test system during oestrous, it reached its maximum on the 10th day (xBAR = 3.9/3.7 ng/ml) and decreased to non-detectable levels again on day 17. For early pregnancy diagnosis the Serozyme(R)-progesterone as well as the Ovucheck(R) gave useful results. On day 17 and 19 after mating the progesterone concentration of pregnant ewes remained on the same level as on day 10, whereas barren ewes had non-detectable progesterone levels on day 17 and 19, using the Serozyme(R)-progesterone and below 1 ng/ml on day 19 using the Ovucheck(R). The accuracy of the Serozyme(R)-progesterone referring to the declaration "non pregnant" was 100 %, that of the Ovucheck(R) 37.5 % on day 17 and 100 % on day 19. The use of both test systems for determining pregnancy of unknown length was examined by collecting blood-samples three times with a five and a seven day interval. Precise results were obtained only with the Serozyme(R)-progesterone test. At least one of three blood samples of all the barren ewes (n = 8) contained amounts of progesterone beneath the sensitivity of this method. The Ovucheck(R) results could not help at all to distinguish barren or pregnant ewes with unknown mating data.