Pyrogens fail to produce fever in the snakes Psammophis phillipsii and Lamprophis fuliginosus

Y. Zurovsky, T. Brain, H. Laburn, D. Mitchell

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

26 Scopus citations

Abstract

1. 1. Preferred body temperature of five diurnal,Psammophis phillipsii and three nocturnal, Lamprophis fuliginosus, snakes was measured in a thermal gradient chamber by indwelling colonic thermocouples, before and after injection of a variety of pyrogens. 2. 2. The snakes achieved their preferred body temperature by moving up and down in the gradient chamber; it was about 33°C for P. phillipsii and 25°C for L. fuliginosus. 3. 3. The snakes did not develop fever in response to any of the pyrogens, whether gram-negative or gram-positive in origin, either on the day of injection or on the subsequent day. 4. 4. We believe that fever is rare amongst reptiles.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)911-914
Number of pages4
JournalComparative Biochemistry and Physiology -Part A : Molecular and Integrative Physiology
Volume87
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - 1987
Externally publishedYes

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