ABORTION IN GOATS ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED MATERNAL CORTISOL

This study was conducted to evaluate the association between non-infec tious abortion and the increment of maternal cortisol (Ct). Primiparou s goats (n=21), showing seronegativity to Brucella abortus, B. mellite nsis and Leptospira pomona were used. Blood samples were collected wee kly to determine Ct and progesterone (P-4) during the last third of pr egnancy (90-150 days). Using birth. and abortion as criteria, two grou ps were formed: one including animals which delivered on time (PG), n= 14, and another with those animals which were aborted (AG), n=7. Ct wa s determined by a competitive protein-binding assay and P-4 was determ ined by radioimmunoassay. Present results show that the mean values of Ct in PG and AG groups were similar from 90 days of pregnancy to 7 da ys before delivery or abortion occurred. However, in AG the Ct levels rose to 46.1 ng/ml during the 7-day interval prior to abortion. In con trast, the Ct levels in PG only reached 11.4 ng/ml in the 7-day interv al prior to delivery. Circulating Pq values showed a negative correlat ion (PG, r=-0.98 and AG, r=0.99) to those of Ct from Day 21 before del ivery or abortion to Day 0 (day of delivery or abortion). (C) 1998 Els evier Science B.V. All rights reserved.