A universal and accurate real-time PCR assay for psittacine sex determination.

Authors

Thitika Kitpipit, Yuvaneswari Chandramoulee Swaran, Phuvadol Thanakiatkrai

Published in

Scientific reports. Jul 12, 2026. Epub Jul 12, 2026.

Abstract

The parrot's sex misrepresentation has detrimental consequences for consumers, parrots, and the economy. It hinders breeding efforts, harms parrots' well-being, fuels illegal trade, and pushes them towards extinction. Traditional methods for sexing parrots are often inaccurate, cumbersome, time-consuming, limited to specific species or lack sufficient validation studies. To address the limitations of traditional sexing methods, we developed and fully validated a universal real-time PCR assay with TaqMan probes for accurate sex determination of parrot species commonly subjected to sexing fraud. The assay was highly accurate, specific, and robust, with 100% concordance with the conventional PCR method. It demonstrated universal applicability for all 38 parrot species from 34 genera (n = 1087), achieving 100% accuracy with sensitivity down to 0.031 ng of DNA input. Single-blind testing showed the assay's capability to work with casework and fieldwork situations. The utilization of the CHD gene specific to psittacines in combination with real-time PCR enables simultaneous determination of species and sex, enhancing its utility in safeguarding parrots from fraud and supporting forensic inquiries.

PMID:
42437797
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 13 Jul 2026.

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