Selection for resistance to myxomatosis in domestic rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus)

Abstract

SUMMARY1. Response to selection was achieved with all strains of Myxoma virus used.2. Heritability of resistance to myxomatosis was determined by intra-sire correlation using survival time as an index and by an all-or-none probit analysis. Both resulted in an estimate of heritability of about 35–40%.3. The ability of animals to survive myxomatosis varied widely with environ mental variation in time.I am indebted to W. Menzies for his very able assistance in all aspects of the work; to Dorothy Conolly for her critical assistance with data analysis, and to Dr J. M. Rendel for suggesting the probit analysis for determining heritability.