Investigations on Kidding in Egyptian Baladi, goats with emphasis on immunogenetic structures and progesterone level

ABSTRACT

Twenty late pregnant Baladi goats were used to investigate kidding process with emphasis on the immunogenetic structures and progesterone level. Blood samples were collected during the late stage of gestation for serological investigations against brucellosis, salmonellosis and toxoplasmosis as well as for evaluation of progesterone level, blood grouping and electrophoretic analysis of plasma proteins. Genotypes data from four blood protein loci and 22 antigens of 7 blood groups were used to detect the genetic markers associated with normal and difficult births. Results of the current investigation revealed that despite all the experimental Baladi does were free from brucellosis, salmonellosis and toxoplasmosis, 40% of them suffered from dystocia and they have polymorphic structure of all studied loci. The most frequent antigenic factors of eutocic goats were A[3], Y[2], B, T[1], X x[3], Cb, R. on the other hand, these animals were characterized by predominance of Alb[B] and Tf[B] genes. Concerning dystocic goats they revealed high frequencies of S[26], N and L antigens with predominance of homozygotic genotypes Hb[A], Alb[A], Am[A] and Tf[A] Plasma progesterone level, few days before kidding was obviously lower in eutocic [0.38 ng/ml] than dystocic [13.99 ng/ml] does. It could be concluded from this study that kidding process is mainly controlled by B, cb, S[26], antigens and An[A] gene