The Prevalence of BLAD and Comparison of Some Production Parameters in Carrier and Non-Carrier Holstein Cows in Kayseri Province , Turkey

In this study, randomly selected 262 Holstein cows reared in Kayseri province of Turkey were screened with polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) for bovine leukocyte adhesion deficiency (BLAD) and some production parameters such as age at first calving, calving interval and 305-day milk production of BLAD-carrier (BL) and BLAD non-carrier (TL) cows were compared. As a result, the prevalence of BL cows was found as 4.58%. There was not any difference between BL and TL cows for age at first calving and calving interval parameters (p>0.05). However, 305-day milk production of BL cows was higher than that of TL cows (p<0.001). Thus, the detection of BLAD carriers and properly planned mating are of great importance for preventing the spread of the disease in Holstein cows.