Influence of polymorphism of the kappa-casein gene of cows on the development of calves in the early postnatal period

Abstract

The authors found that the density of colostrum in cows with a homozygous genotype for the B allele of the kappa-casein gene was higher compared to the homozygous genotype for the A allele and had a greater amount of immunoglobulins by 29.5 mg/l, respectively. The formation of high colostral immunity in calves obtained from cows of mothers of genotypes AB and BB prevented the occurrence of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, and in calves obtained from mothers of genotype AA genotype kappa-casein with a reduced amount of immunoglobulins in colostrum, it led to the development of diarrhea in 12% of newborn calves. The dynamics of the live weight of calves obtained from cows of mothers with the AA genotype of the kappa-casein gene, during the first 30 days of life, was 6.34 and 4.78 kg lower than in young cows with the BB and AB genotypes of the kappa-casein gene. At the age of one month, the leukocyte content in calves obtained from cows from mothers with a homozygous genotype for allele A of the kappa-casein gene was less by 10.8 and 16.2%, and hemoglobin by 10.5 and 10.7%.