Cold virus shown to replicate better at lower temperatures

A new study has demonstrated the potentially increased risk of cold viruses replicating at cooler temperatures.

The Yale University-led research examined the most frequent cause of the common cold, the rhinovirus, and lends credence to the popular theory that people are more likely to catch a cold in cool-weather conditions.

Looking at cells taken from the airways of mice, the team compared the immune response to rhinovirus when cells were incubated at 37 degrees Celsius – core body temperature – or a cooler 33 degrees Celsius.

The findings indicated that the common cold virus can reproduce itself more efficiently in the cooler temperatures found inside the nose than at core body temperature. The researchers now wish to see how this trend affects immune responses to conditions such as childhood asthma.

Study senior author and Yale professor of immunobiology Akiko Iwasaki said: "In general, the lower the temperature, it seems the lower the innate immune response to viruses."

More than 200 types of virus can cause a cold. The condition is usually mild and lasts for only a week before the body fights off the infection.