Longitudinal study on telomere length and lifetime production in dairy heifers

Telomere length (TL) is emerging as a biomarker in human medicine; correlating with health, longevity, and reproductive outcomes. However, its significance in predicting productive lifespan remains mostly unexplored in dairy cattle. This study aims to longitudinally assess TL in dairy heifers and investigate its correlation with (re)productive parameters. TL was determined at birth in 210 dairy calves across four farms. Among them, 174 calves progressed to their first lactation stage. Presently, 114 animals have been culled, distributed among parities as follows: 0 (36), 1 (22), 2 (33), 3 (34), 4 (17), and 5 (7), while 60 calves remain alive, spanning parities 3 (9), 4 (34), 5 (14), and 6 (1). Data on first lactation parameters, including age at first insemination and conception, number of inseminations, conception (yes or no), and production parameters, were collected. For culled animals, parameters such as culling age, reason for culling, productive days, lifetime milk production, and inseminations per lactation were recorded. Linear models in R (2023.06.0) revealed no significant association between TL at birth and first lactation parameters, including age at first insemination (p = 0.5), number of inseminations (p = 0.9), conception (p = 0.2), age of conception (p = 0.7), lactation length (p = 0.5), milk yield (p = 0.6), and milk fat (p = 0.5) and protein (p = 0.7) content. Herd was incorporated as a random effect. Survival analysis is underway to explore the association between TL and productive lifespan in these animals. Preliminary findings suggest no significant link between TL at birth and first lactation parameters in dairy heifers. Further research is warranted to elucidate the use of TL to predict lifetime production in dairy cattle.

Jaar van publicatie:2024

Toegankelijkheid:Closed