Little genetic variability in resilience among cattle exists for a range of performance traits across herds in Ireland differing in Fasciola hepatica prevalence.

ABSTRACT: It is anticipated that in the future, livestock will be exposed to a greater risk of infection from parasitic diseases. Therefore, future breeding strategies for livestock, which are generally long-term strategies for change, should target animals adaptable to environments with a high parasitic load. Covariance components were estimated in the present study for a selection of dairy and beef performance traits over herd-years differing in Fasciola hepatica load using random regression sire models. Herd-year prevalence of F. hepatica was determined by using F. hepatica-damaged liver phenotypes which were recorded in abattoirs nationally. The data analyzed consisted up to 83,821 lactation records from dairy cows for a range of milk production and fertility traits, as well as 105,054 young ani

SUBMITTER: Twomey AJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6095437 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature