News Animals

Fever’s link with a key kind of immunity is surprisingly ancient

Fevers boost survival and killing ability of T cells in fish

Side view of a Nile tilapia swimming in front of a black background. The fish is light gray with dark gray stripes.

Nile tilapia (one shown) seek warmer waters when sick, a behavior that kicks off their specialized adaptive immune system, a new study suggests.

Luying Wang

By McKenzie Prillaman

The immune-boosting power of a fever is surprisingly ancient.

Cold-blooded creatures like fish typically move to warmer environments to help fight infections. In one fish species, Nile tilapia, that behavioral — or sought-out — fever triggers the adaptive immune system, known for its acquired memory of specific bodily invaders, researchers report in the Dec.