The effect of venous blood stream cooling on survival of bacterially infected rabbits

The effect of physical cooling on the mortality rate of rabbits infected with Pasteurella multocida was investigated. Rabbits were cooled for 48 hours after bacterial injection by passing cold fluid through small hollow metal cuffs which had been surgically implanted around the abdominal vena cavae of rabbits. The average body temperatures of the rabbits during the 24-hour period after the intravenous injection of live Pasteurella multocida was 40.92 +/- 0.20 degrees C in control rabbits and 38.98 +/- 0.71 degrees C in cooled rabbits. 90% of physically cooled rabbits survived compared with 46% of control rabbits 48 hours after bacterial injection, suggesting that thermoregulatory effector mechanisms involved in cold defense may enhance survival.