Body more susceptible to viruses in the morning, study suggests

A study published by the University of Cambridge has found that viruses are more dangerous when they infect their host in the morning.

The research is being carried out to explore new ways of preventing pandemics, and involved infecting mice with influenza or herpes. The mice infected in the morning had 10 times the viral levels of those infected in the evening, suggesting the body clock regime which cells follow made it more difficult for viruses to hijack cells during the later hours.

In an interview with the BBC, Professor Akhilesh Reddy, one of the researchers from the study, said: "It's a big difference. The virus needs all the apparatus available at the right time, otherwise it might not ever get off the ground, but a tiny infection in the morning might perpetuate faster and take over the body."

"In a pandemic, staying in during the daytime could be quite important and save people's lives, it could have a big impact if trials bear it out."

Dr Rachel Edgar, author of the report, said: "This indicates that shift workers, who work some nights and rest some nights and so have a disrupted body clock, will be more susceptible to viral diseases.

"If so, then they could be prime candidates for receiving the annual flu vaccines."