Temperature and adaptive immunity

Abstract

The adaptive immune response has evolved over hundreds of millions of years to have exquisitely specific and durable mechanisms to eliminate pathogenic threats wherever they may occur in the body. Temperature has long been known to influence the response to infections, injuries, and even cancer; however, the mechanistic basis of these effects has only recently come under investigation. The picture that is emerging is that temperature can have varying impacts on adaptive immunity at multiple levels, with elevated temperatures generally promoting the activation, function, and delivery of immune cells, while reduced temperatures inhibit these processes. Here we will discuss the evidence supporting the assertion that temperature is an important modulator of adaptive immunity.

Keywords: adaptive immunity; hyperthermia; hypothermia; lymphocyte trafficking.