The field evaluation of the diagnostic performance of a commercial pregnancy-associated glycoprotein-based lateral flow assay for early pregnancy detection in ewes.

AOPT is reliable for ewe pregnancy detection from day 28 post-mating onwards.

This field study evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of the Alertys OnFarm Pregnancy Test (AOPT), a commercial pregnancy-associated glycoprotein (PAG)-based lateral flow assay, for early pregnancy detection in ewes. One hundred multiparous Awassi ewes were estrus-synchronized and mated during the non-breeding season. Blood samples collected on days 21, 28, and 35 post-mating were tested using AOPT, with transrectal ultrasonography serving as the reference standard. The AOPT demonstrated progressively improved diagnostic performance across the three time points, with day 21 sensitivity of 77.55% and accuracy of 85.00%, improving to day 28 sensitivity of 95.55% and accuracy of 93.00%, and achieving optimal performance on day 35 with 100% sensitivity and 98.00% accuracy. Plasma PAG concentrations were significantly elevated in pregnant versus non-pregnant ewes at all timepoints. The authors recommend AOPT as a practical, rapid, and reliable method for early pregnancy detection in ewes from day 28 post-mating onward, though they caution that early false-negatives and late false-positives from embryonic loss warrant careful interpretation and potential confirmation testing.

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