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Viral infections are more successful when the infection started in the morning, and disruptions to the circadian rhythm such as jet lag give viruses even better opportunities to propagate, according to a new study:
Viruses are more dangerous when they infect their victims in the morning, a University of Cambridge study suggests. The findings, published in PNAS [DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1601895113], showed viruses were 10 times more successful if the infection started in the morning. And the animal studies found that a disrupted body clock - caused by shift-work or jet lag - was always vulnerable to infection.
The researchers say the findings could lead to new ways of stopping pandemics. Viruses - unlike bacteria or parasites - are completely dependent on hijacking the machinery inside cells in order to replicate. But those cells change dramatically as part of a 24-hour pattern known as the body clock.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 16 2016, @01:56PM
So the mice lived on a 12 hr day-night cycle. They injected them with virus either at t=0 (lights on) or t=10 (2 hrs before lights off). Then they assessed the amount of virus present at 3, 5, 7, 9, 13 days later. So either they tested for virus at different time of day or there was an approximately half day difference in the time elapsed between infection and testing. It isn't clear from the paper which is true, but either could also explain a difference in virus count. It is also odd to me they used t=10 hrs rather than t=12 hrs. This could also have to do with stress occurring when the lights turn on/off rather than circadian rhythms.