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This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 586/2/399    most recent jphysiol.2007.144006v1 Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Spencer, S. J. Articles by Pittman, Q. J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Spencer, S. J. Articles by Pittman, Q. J. Related Collections Review articles Cardiovascular

¹ Hotchkiss Brain Institute and Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

There are periods in the life of a healthy animal (including humans) when the febrile response to an immune challenge is suppressed. One such period is during late pregnancy, particularly around the time of parturition. In the 30 or so years since this ‘febrile hyporesponsiveness’ was first noted, much work has been done to investigate the mechanisms and adaptive significance of this phenomenon. In this review we present some insight into how and why the body deliberately re-programmes itself to develop smaller fevers in response to an immune challenge and therefore to be potentially less successful at fighting infection.

(Received 27 August 2007; accepted after revision 5 October 2007; first published online 18 October 2007)
Corresponding author Q. J. Pittman: Health Sciences Centre, 3330 Hospital Dr., N.W. Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 4N1. Email: pittman{at}ucalgary.ca

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				Q. J. Pittman Brain adaptations for a successful pregnancy J. Physiol., January 15, 2008; 586(2): 367 - 367. [Full Text] [PDF]