PHYSIOLOGY UNDERPINS NOTION THAT OOLDS ARE CAUGHT IN COOL WEATHER

摘要

The popular but contested notion that people are more likely to catoh a cold in oool weather appears to be grounded in physiology. It is already known that most strains of rhinovirus (RV) — the common cold virus — replicate better at the cooler temperatures found in the nasal cavity (33-35 degrees Celsius) than at core body temperature (37 degrees Celsius). Now, a study in mice has shown that the strength of antiviral immune response in infected cells also varies according to temperature, being strongest at higher temperatures and diminished at lower temperatures.