Vol. 10, Issue 2, Part A (2025)

Author(s): D Mourijavagar, M Malarmathi and VB Raghavendran

Abstract: The study aimed to develop a non-invasive method for determining the sex of foetuses in pregnant mares from various organized and unorganized farms in Tamil Nadu. The method involved isolating circulating cell-free foetal DNA from maternal plasma and performing a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect the Sex-determining Region on the Y-Chromosome (SRY) gene. Blood samples were collected from 60 mares in different stages of pregnancy. The sex of the foetuses was determined based on the presence or absence of a 182 bp PCR product for the SRY gene, which was later confirmed after birth. The overall accuracy of the test was 94.82%, with an accuracy of 89.28% for male foetuses. Early sex determination in equines is a valuable tool for enhancing management practices and supporting future assisted reproduction efforts. Circulating nucleic acids are crucial for non-invasive prenatal diagnosis, including the detection of pregnancy-associated disorders.