Relationship Between Survival Rate and Survival-Time of Rabbits, Oryctolagus-Cuniculus (L), Challenged With Myxoma Virus

Abstract

The mean survival times of small groups of rabbits challenged with myxoma virus have been used to estimate survival rates and to allocate virulence grades to field strains of myxoma virus. The slope of the regression Line relating survival percentage to mean survival time in days was shown to be less steep than has been previously estimated. This overestimation of the regression slope has, in the past, resulted in most field strains of myxoma virus being allocated to the Grade III level of virulence when allocation to Grade I would have been more appropriate.