Patent ID: 8541187
Filing Date: 2013-09-24
Classification: G01N

Abstract:
1. A method of determining whether a non-human animal is pregnant comprising: providing a test kit including at least three test surfaces, each surface being coated with a first biomolecular recognition element specific to a marker of pregnancy, a first reagent solution including a second biomolecular recognition element specific to the marker, a first standard corresponding to a first amount of the marker, and a second standard corresponding to a second amount of the marker that is lower than the first amount, obtaining a first sample from the animal after insemination of the animal, introducing equal aliquots of the first reagent solution to each of the three surfaces, introducing the first standard to a first one of the surfaces, introducing the second standard to a second one of the surfaces, introducing the sample to a third one of the surfaces, allowing the standards and sample to react with the first biomolecular recognition element to bind any of the marker present to the three surfaces, and the second biomolecular recognition element to react with the marker bound to each of the three surfaces, under a substantially constant temperature for a specified time period, removing unbound materials, including unbound marker, unbound standards, unbound sample, and unbound first reagent solution, from the three test surfaces, introducing to the three surfaces a visual indicator to undergo a visually detectable change, the magnitude of which is related to the amount of the second biomolecular recognition element bound to each surface, comparing under a substantially constant temperature after a specified time period the visual indicator present in the third one of the surfaces with the visual indicators present in the first and second surfaces, comparing a magnitude of the visual indictor from the first sample on the third surface to respective magnitudes from the first standard on the first surface and the second standard on the second surface without using a spectrophotometer, determining that the animal is pregnant as indicated by the magnitude of the visual indicator of the third surface being greater than that of the first surface, determining that the animal is not pregnant as indicated by the magnitude of the visual indicator of the third surface being lower than that of the second surface, determining that a retest of the animal for pregnancy is required as indicated by the magnitude of the visual indicator of the third surface being between the magnitudes of the visual indicators of the first and second surfaces, and retesting a second sample retrieved at a time after the first sample was retrieved based on the determination that the animal requires retesting to determine pregnancy.