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1 Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
2 Department of Health Management, Atlantic Veterinary College, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, Canada
Corresponding author: Sarne De Vliegher; e-mail: Sarne.Devliegher{at}UGent.be.
The objective of this study was to estimate the impact of somatic cell count in early lactation (SCCel) from Belgian dairy heifers on test-day somatic cell count (SCC) in first lactation. Geometric mean SCCel [5 to 14 d in milk (DIM)] of the 14,766 available samples was 104,000 cells/mL, and decreased from 178,000 at 5 DIM to 74,000 cells/mL at 14 DIM. Proportion of SCCel >200,000 cells/mL was 27.5. Heifers calving in the period April–June had highest SCCel.
In total, 117,496 monthly SCC were measured. A multilevel regression analysis revealed that an increase of the natural log-transformed SCCel (LnSCCel) by one unit on average resulted in an increase of test-day natural log-transformed SCC (LnSCC) by 0.22 unit. The impact of LnSCCel on LnSCC depended on when LnSCCel was measured; an elevated LnSCCel at 14 DIM was more consequential than an equally elevated LnSCCel at 5 DIM. The probability of having a test-day SCC >200,000 cells/mL during the first lactation, also increased with an increasing LnSCCel. The negative effect of an elevated LnSCCel was still present, although to a lesser extent, in heifers with a second test-day SCC 
50,000 cells/mL.
This study indicates that udder health problems in heifers in early lactation have a high prevalence and stresses that heifers should have a low SCCel, because an elevated SCCel will negatively influence test-day SCC during the whole first lactation.
Key Words: dairy heifer • early lactation • somatic cell count • udder health
Abbreviation key: LnSCC = natural log-transformed SCC, LnSCCel = natural log-transformed SCCel, MY = milk yield at test-day (kg), OR = odds ratio, SCCel = SCC in early lactation (between 5 and 14 DIM).
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