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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Ames, Iowa » National Animal Disease Center » Ruminant Diseases and Immunology Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #158812
Title: RELATIONSHIP OF THE PROBABILITY OF DISEASE INCIDENCE WITH IMMUNITY

Author
item ADBEL-AZIN, G - IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
item FREEMAN, ALBERT - IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
item KEHRLI JR, MARCUS
item KELM, S - UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN
item BURTON, J - MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
item KUCK, A - COOPERATIVE RESOURCES INT
item SCHNELL, S - COOPERATIVE RESOURSES INT

Submitted to: Immunology Research Workshop
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/5/2003
Publication Date: 12/2/2003
Citation: Abdel-Azin, G.A., Freeman, A.E., Kehrli, Jr., M.E., Kelm, S.C., Burton, J.L., Kuck, A.L., Schnell, S. 2003. Relationship of the probability of disease incidence with immunity. ARS Immunology Research Workshop. p. 75.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Health data in Holstein cows sired by a selected group of sires were analyzed as categorical traits by a threshold model. Data were collected from 174 herds and included incidences on 18,000 daughters of 1365 sires. Breeding values and genetic parameters for disease incidence were estimated. Probability of disease incidence in daughters as values associated with their sires were computed. The immune competence of the sires had been previously tested in a model of glucocorticoid immunosuppression. Statistical relationships between daughter health and immune response traits in sires were investigated. Heritability estimated by the threshold model was 0.277, an estimate sufficiently high to indicate the great potential of selection for disease resistance. Evidence of association between probability of disease incidence and seven immune response traits was found, which motivates and justifies the indirect selection of dairy sires for disease resistance. Indirect selection for disease resistance saves time and money, and could serve as a first guide for what bulls to select for health until young bulls have been progeny tested. Further research is warranted to develop indirect models of selection for disease resistance.