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Int J Primatol (2011) 32:605615
DOI 10.1007/s10764-010-9490-7
Tatiana Kugelmeier & Rodrigo del Rio do Valle &
Marcelo Alcindo de Barros Vaz Guimares &
Jos Augusto Pereira Carneiro Muniz & Frederico Ozanan Barros Monteiro &
Cludio Alvarenga de Oliveira
Received: 3 March 2010 /Accepted: 24 December 2010 /Published online: 17 February 2011 # Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2011
Abstract A better understanding of a species reproductive physiology can help conservation programs to manage primates in the wild and develop assisted reproductive technologies in captivity. We investigated whether measurements of fecal progestin and estrogen metabolites obtained by a radioimmunoassay could be used to monitor the ovarian cycle of Alouatta caraya. We also compared the occurrence of vaginal bleeding with the hormone profiles. We collected fecal samples from 3 adult and 1 subadult captive female over 5 mo and performed vaginal cytology for the adults. The interval between fecal progestin surges in the adult females was 19.112.14 d (n=18 cycles). Fecal progestin concentrations remained at basal values for 9.832.21 d (n=18) and rose to elevated values for 9.470.72 d (n=19). The subadult female showed basal levels of fecal estrogen and progestin concentrations throughout the study, suggesting that our hormone measurements are valid to monitor the ovarian cycle. Bleeding periods coincided with basal levels of fecal estrogens and progestin at
T. Kugelmeier : R. del Rio do Valle : M. A. de Barros Vaz Guimares : C. A. de Oliveira Faculdade de Medicina Veterinria e Zootecnia (FMVZ), Departamento de Reproduo Animal (VRA), Universidade de So Paulo (USP), So Paulo, SP, Brasil
J. A. Pereira Carneiro Muniz
Ministrio da Sade (MS), Secretaria de Vigilncia em Sade (SVS), Instituto Evandro Chagas (IEC), Centro Nacional de Primatas (CENP), Ananindeua, PA, Brasil
F. O. Barros Monteiro
Universidade Federal Rural da Amaznia (UFRA), Instituto da Sade e Produo Animal (ISPA), Belm, Par, Brasil
Present Address:T. Kugelmeier (*)
Fundao Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Centro de Criao de Animais de Laboratrio (Cecal), Servio de Criao de Primatas no Humanos (SCPrim), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil e-mail: [email protected]: [email protected]: [email protected]
Tracking the Ovarian Cycle in Black-and-Gold Howlers (Alouatta caraya) by Measuring Fecal Steroids and Observing Vaginal Bleeding
606 T. Kugelmeier et al.
intervals of 19.80.9 d and lasted for 4.11.0 d. Although we obtained these data from only...