The objective of this study was to estimate the genetic and phenotypic relationships between somatic cell count (SCC) and milk yield and to evaluate the possibility of using SCC as a selection criteria in breeding programs of dairy cattle. Somatic cell count records were transformed into somatic cell score (SCS) using a logarithmic scale. Genetic parameters for milk yield (305 days) and average somatic cell score (ASCS) were estimated. The overall means for 305-day milk yield (MY305) and ASCS were, respectively, 7519.51 kg and 4.04. Heritability estimates for MY305 and ASCS, obtained from univariate analyses were 0.22 and 0.13, respectively. Similar results were obtained from bivariate analysis. The genetic correlation between MY305 and ASCS was -0.16. This result differs from most of those from the literature and suggests that selection for milk yield will not increase ASCS.
dairy cattle; genetic correlation; heritability; mastitis
