BODY-TEMPERATURE CHANGES BEFORE MINOR ILLNESS IN INFANTS

This study aimed to examine the overnight temperature pattern of babie s during the prodromal phase of minor illnesses. The overnight rectal temperature pattern of 123 babies was recorded weekly from about 6 to at least 16 weeks old, while parents maintained detailed records of si gns of illness. By analysis of patterns of signs and visits to the gen eral practitioner, 86 periods of minor illness were identified, mostly upper respiratory tract infections, though it was not usually possibl e to identify the infection by conventional virology. Data were analys ed separately for babies who had developed an adult-like night time te mperature pattern and those who had not. In both groups, obvious signs of illness were preceded by a disturbance of night time temperature p attern. Temperature was significantly raised over control weeks, thoug h few babies were clinically febrile. The greatest temperature disturb ances were seen in the three days before illness, though some disturba nces were seen up to seven days before. A similar disturbance of tempe rature was seen the night after diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus imm unisation, and individual responses to natural infection and immunisat ion were well correlated, suggesting that the temperature change is mo re a function of the host response than the infecting agent.