Hypothermic responses to infection are inhibited by α2-adrenoceptor agonists with possible clinical implications

These data suggest that early thermoregulatory responses to infection can be selectively antagonized by ligands that activate α2-adrenoreceptors. High dependency patients receiving α2-adrenoceptor agonists may not be capable of mounting a normal thermal response to infecting organisms and clinical monitoring using core temperature to detect infection may therefore be unreliable in these vulnerable patients.