INFLUENCE OF GENETIC FACTORS ON THE MAGNITUDE AND THE HETEROGENEITY OF THE IMMUNE RESPONSE IN THE RABBIT

Abstract

Selective breeding of rabbits immunized with Group C and Group A streptococcal vaccines was employed to reveal genetic influences on the magnitude and on the restriction in heterogeneity of the immune response to the group-specific carbohydrates. After two generations of selective breeding, complete segregation was achieved between a high-response population (>18 mg precipitins/ml serum, average 33 mg/ml) and a low-response population (<13 mg precipitins/ml serum, average 7.5 mg/ml) to Group C carbohydrate. This suggests that a limited number of genes controls the magnitude of the immune response to this antigen.