"The study's authors considered the differences between birds' body temperatures and those of humans, noting that "the normal body temperature of avian hosts exceeds that of a typical human fever."In engaging in this research, the scientists involved sought to discover whether or not, as they phrased it, "elevated temperature itself is directly antiviral." They modified a type of virus known as PR8 to create one that would thrive at higher temperatures akin to what it would experience in birds' bodies."
"This, in turn, led the papers' authors to conclude that increases in body temperature can help the immune system fight off certain diseases. "The ~2°C increase in body temperature, which is similar to an everyday febrile response, transformed a normally severe or lethal challenge into mild disease," the authors wrote. "[A]t a molecular level, we're quite unsure how temperature might be impacting viruses," one of the paper's authors, University of Cambridge professor Sam Wilson, told NPR."
Normal avian body temperature exceeds a typical human fever. A laboratory influenza virus (PR8) was adapted to replicate at higher, bird-like temperatures. Mice with an approximately 2°C higher body temperature resisted the standard PR8 virus but were susceptible to the bird-adapted variant. An approximately 2°C increase, similar to everyday febrile responses, converted normally severe or lethal infections into mild disease. The specific molecular mechanisms by which elevated temperature impacts viral replication remain unclear. Further investigation aims to clarify how temperature directly affects viral biology and immune resistance.
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