Early determination of pregnancy status in ruminants

摘要

The present invention provides compositions and methods for detection schemes for ascertaining pregnancy status of an animal. The compositions and methods employ interferon-tau (IFNT) and/or antibodies specific for IFNT. Methods of the present invention detect the presence of IFNT in samples obtained from animals as an early indicator of pregnancy. Methods are provided to identify non-pregnant animals so that management decisions regarding rebreeding can be made earlier compared to existing approaches.