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Related Experiment Videos

Is fever beneficial?

M J Kluger

    The Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine
    |March 1, 1986
    PubMed
    Summary

    Fever, an elevated body temperature, likely evolved as an adaptive defense against infection. Moderate fevers in animals generally reduce illness and improve survival rates when infected.

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    Area of Science:

    • Physiology
    • Immunology
    • Evolutionary Biology

    Background:

    • Fever, or elevated body temperature, is a widespread response to infection across diverse animal species.
    • The evolutionary origins of fever as an adaptive mechanism are ancient, likely dating back hundreds of millions of years.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To explore the adaptive significance of fever as a host defense mechanism against pathogens.
    • To investigate the impact of elevated body temperature on host immune responses and disease outcomes.

    Main Methods:

    • Review of existing literature on fever responses in vertebrates and invertebrates.
    • Analysis of studies examining the effects of moderate fever on morbidity and survival rates in infected animal models.

    Main Results:

    • Fever enhances multiple components of both nonspecific and specific host immune responses.
    • Moderate fever significantly decreases morbidity and increases survival rates in animals infected with bacterial and viral pathogens.

    Conclusions:

    • Fever is a conserved, adaptive trait that enhances host defense against infection.
    • Elevated body temperature plays a crucial role in improving disease outcomes and survival across a broad range of animal species.

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