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Impact of temperature elevation on immunologic defenses.
1Department of Medicine, University of Rochester School of Medicine, New York 14642.
Reviews of Infectious Diseases
|May 11, 1991
Summary
Fever, or temperature elevation, enhances key immune responses like T lymphocyte activation, aiding host defense. While some immune cell activities may decrease, overall immune function improves during fever.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Physiology
Background:
- Fever is a common host defense mechanism against infection.
- Temperature elevation impacts various stages of the immune response.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of physiological temperature elevation on immune responses.
- To determine how fever influences different phases of the immune system.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing data on fever and immune function.
- Analysis of temperature effects on immune cell recognition, recruitment, and effector phases.
Main Results:
- Physiological fever enhances immune recognition and T lymphocyte activation.
- Immune effector cell activity may be unchanged or decreased, but this is offset by increased T helper function.
- Supraphysiological temperatures do not benefit, and may harm, immune responses.
Conclusions:
- Febrile temperature elevations are a beneficial aspect of host defense.
- Fever primarily benefits the sensitization and activation phases of the immune response.