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Biomedical subjects

W R Sobey

Publications and source records attributed to W R Sobey.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1975

Myxomatosis: passive immunity in the offspring of immune rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) infested with fleas (Spilopsyllus cuniculi Dale) and exposed to myxoma virus.

Kittens with maternal antibodies to myxoma virus, the offspring of rabbits which had recovered from myxomatosis, were exposed to fleas contaminated with myxoma virus and/or contact with infected rabbits from birth. All kittens died or became infected before 8 weeks of age. When compared with adult animals similarly infected the kittens showed no advantage in terms of survival time or recovery rate attributable to maternal antibodies. Flea transmission of virus was found more effective than contact transmissions.

Animals↗
PubMed1974

Myxomatosis: some observations on breeding the European rabbit flea Spilopsyllus cuniculi (Dale) in an animal house.

Rabbit fleas for use in Myxomatosis investigations have been successfully bred on rabbits in an animal house. The timing of emergence appeared to be governed by a biological timing control interacting with different forms of disturbance. Yield was found to be related to litter size, the time the doe and her kittens were removed from the nest, the number of fleas put onto a doe before littering and the mean ambient temperature to which the doe was exposed in the week pre-partum. The survival rate of fleas in storage was affected by temperature, the degree of crowding, moisture content of the containers, whether fleas were fed or unfed and the source of fleas in terms of emergence times.

Animals↗
PubMed1973

Fluctuations in the titre of antibody to a soluble antigen of myxoma virus in field populations of rabbits, Oryctolagus cuniculus (L.), in Australia.

Results are presented on tests carried out over the past 5 years to measure the antibody titre of various rabbit populations to a soluble antigen of myxoma virus. In an unexpectedly high percentage of immune rabbits the antibody fell below measurable titres, and later rose to measurable titres without the advent of an observable epizootic of myxomatosis. The re-stimulation of the immune response is discussed in terms of re-infection and virus reactivation.

Animals↗
PubMed1971

Myxomatosis: the introduction of the European rabbit flea Spilopsyllus cuniculi (Dale) into wild rabbit populations in Australia.

1. The European rabbit flea Spilopsyllus cuniculi (Dale) bred successfully in wild rabbits on three properties in New South Wales and, within two breeding seasons, almost every rabbit shot within a quarter of a mile of a release site was infested.2. It was demonstrated that the flea transmitted myxoma virus in the field.3. In areas where more than 75% of the rabbits shot at the beginning of the breeding season were flea-infested and myxoma virus was present, populations failed to show the expected summer build-up.

Agriculture↗
PubMed1970

Myxomatosis. The effect of age upon survival of wild and domestic rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) with a degree of genetic resistance and unselected domestic rabbits infected with myxoma virus.

The response of wild and domestic rabbits with a degree of genetic resistance to myxomatosis has been shown to be markedly affected by the age at which they were infected with a virulent strain of the virus. The response, in terms of mean survival time and percentage survival, fell with increasing age from 10 to 30 weeks with little change thereafter.

Age Factors↗