ABOVE: Transmission electron micrograph of H1N1 virus particles.
NIAID
Previous studies have found that a warming climate may change the distribution of different diseases and the insects that carry them. Now, a new study in mice suggests that a warming climate may also hinder the immune response of animals and humans infected with viruses and other pathogens, researchers reported yesterday (February 4) in PNAS.
The researchers from the University of Tokyo subjected healthy female mice to cold (4 °C or 39.2 °F), room (22 °C or 71.6°F), or hot (36 °C or 96.8 °F) temperatures. Within 24 hours of living in high heat, mice ate less and lost 10 percent of their body weight. When exposed to a type of H1N1 influenza virus on day eight of the simulated heat wave, the animals’ immune systems had difficulty recognizing the virus and fighting it because of lagging responses from virus-specific killer T ...
