Impact of early lactation somatic cell count in ...
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| Title | Impact of early lactation somatic cell count in heifers on somatic cell counts over the first lactation |
| Author(s) | S. De Vliegher, H. Barkema, H. Stryhn, G. Opsomer, A. de Kruif |
| Journal | Journal of dairy science |
| Date | 2004 |
| Volume | 87 |
| Issue | 11 |
| Start page | 3672 |
| End page | 3682 |
| Abstract | The objective of this study was to estimate the impact of somatic cell count in early lactation (SCCel) from Belgian dairy heifers on test-day somatic cell count (SCC) in first lactation. Geometric mean SCCel [5 to 14 d in milk (DIM)] of the 14,766 available samples was 104,000 cells/mL, and decreased from 178,000 at 5 DIM to 74,000 cells/mL at 14 DIM. Proportion of SCCel >200,000 cells/mL was 27.5. Heifers calving in the period April-June had highest SCCel.In total, 117,496 monthly SCC were measured. A multilevel regression analysis revealed that an increase of the natural log-transformed SCCel (LnSCCel) by one unit on average resulted in an increase of test-day natural log-transformed SCC (LnSCC) by 0.22 unit. The impact of LnSCCel on LnSCC depended on when LnSCCel was measured; an elevated LnSCCel at 14 DIM was more consequential than an equally elevated LnSCCel at 5 DIM. The probability of having a test-day SCC >200,000 cells/mL during the first lactation, also increased with an increasing LnSCCel. The negative effect of an elevated LnSCCel was still present, although to a lesser extent, in heifers with a second test-day SCC <or=50,000 cells/mL.This study indicates that udder health problems in heifers in early lactation have a high prevalence and stresses that heifers should have a low SCCel, because an elevated SCCel will negatively influence test-day SCC during the whole first lactation. |
| ISSN | 0022-0302 |
Using APA 6th Edition citation style.
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