Published in Scientific Papers. Series D. Animal Science, Vol. LXVIII, Issue 1
Written by Mihai Vlad BER, Madalina MINCU-IORGA, Dinu GAVOJDIAN, Ioana NICOLAE, Livia VIDU
Cattle carrying the SLICK mutation (c.1382del; rs517047387) were shown to exhibit increased resistance to heat stress, with limited research on thermal response of carriers under cold stress. The objective of this study was to evaluate the response of un-weaned calves to cold stress exposure in two divergently selected Holstein strains, namely descendants of SLICK carrier bulls (experimental group - EG, n = 9) compared to those of Romanian Black and White bulls (controls - CG, n = 11). Calves were monitored during a cold weather episode of 3 consecutive days, with lower critical temperatures (<5°C for >12h/day), for infrared thermography (IRT), growth rates and cortisol levels. Average daily gains were of 792±110 g in the EG and of 928±150 g in CG group (P>0.05). IRT data showed significant differences between groups during the first day of the cold weather event, for both orbital (26.48±0.444°C in EG vs. 28.74±0.472°C in CG calves, P≤0.01) and nasal (18.23±0.820°C in EG vs. 21.05±1.200°C G in controls, P≤0.10) regions. Results suggest that calves sired by SLICK carrier bulls are exhibiting lower growth rates and have lower IRT-body temperatures in response to cold stress events.
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