Validation of a human progesterone enzyme immunoassay (EIA) kit for use on serum of cattle in Cameroon.

A study aimed at validating a human progesterone enzyme immunoassay kit was carried out on cattle at Bambui, Cameroon. Progesterone ELISA Kits (EH-511) were obtained from Clinpro International. Forty-one cows were selected, of which 19 were pregnant and 22 within 14 days post partum. Blood samples were analysed and progesterone levels were deduced from a curve obtained from standard absorbance values (A450). Results show that 95.5% of postpartum cows had progesterone levels below 1 ng/ ml, with the highest level being 0.75 ng/ml. The mean level was 0.5 +/- 0.26 ng/ml. The cows in the 'pregnant group' had progesterone levels ranging from 3.5 to 17.5 ng/ml. This kit can be used for measuring progesterone levels in cattle. Levels of 1 ng/ml for two consecutive samples or one sample at or above 3 ng/ml are an indication of the presence of corpus luteum, while cows below 1 ng/ml will be in anoestrus.