Diagnostic Accuracy of Transrectal Ultrasonography, Pregnancy-Associated Glycoprotein, and Serum Progesterone for Early Pregnancy Diagnosis in Water Iraq Buffaloes

Water buffalo, early pregnancy diagnosis, ultrasonography, pregnancy-associated glycoprotein, progesterone, diagnostic accuracy

1*Asaad Taha Habeeb
Ministry of Agriculture, Veterinary Department,
Kirkuk, Iraq

2Khawla Abbas Hussein
Department of Surgery and Obstetrics, College
of Veterinary Medicine, University of Baghdad,
Baghdad, Iraq

Received:06-06-2026
Revised:14-07-2026
Accepted:20-07-2026

European Journal of Prosthodontics and Restorative Dentistry (2026) 34 (7s), 137–146

Diagnostic Accuracy of Transrectal Ultrasonography, Pregnancy-Associated Glycoprotein, and Serum Progesterone for Early
Pregnancy Diagnosis in Water Iraq Buffaloes

The early diagnosis of pregnancy is important for improving reproductive efficiency, thereby reducing the potential for economic loss associated with water buffalo production systems. The study compared the ability of each of transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS), pregnancy associated glycoprotein (PAG), and serum progesterone assays to diagnose early pregnancies in postpartum buffaloes which had been subjected to different estrus synchronization protocols. A total of 50 clinically normal postpartum anestrous buffaloes were randomly allocated to five experimental groups (n =10 per group). Pregnancy was monitored using TRUS and serum progesterone levels and PAG concentrations were determined by ELISA. The analysis of diagnostic performance used pregnancy detection rate (sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and overall accuracy). Ultrasonography had the best overall results with an accuracy of 66.7% by Day 30, and 100% by Days 45 and 60 post-breeding. PAG had a 27.8% pregnancy detection rate on Day 30, a 55.6% pregnancy detection rate on Day 45, and a 66.7% pregnancy detection rate on Day 60. Furthermore, ultrasonography had the highest overall diagnostic accuracy (97.5%-99%) compared to PAG (89%92%) and progesterone (84%-87%). Additionally, both serum progesterone and PAG increased significantly (P ≤ 0.05) between Early - gestation, indicating normal luteal function, and development of the placenta. To conclude that ultrasonography was the most accurate way to diagnose early pregnancy in buffalo where PAG acts as a validating biomarker for placental establishment. Progesterone has been useful for the assessment of luteal function but, as with all of the other tests, progesterone's specificity for a diagnosis will be much lower than all other tests. Therefore, these findings support using ultrasound and PAG in conjunction to improve reproductive management and pregnancy diagnosis in buffalo herds.

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