Thermoregulatory Responses of Rabbits to Combined Heat Exposure, Pyrogen and Dehydration

To determine how the competing demands of combined stressors for shared regulatory systems are met, rabbits were exposed to 37°C, or injected with an exogenous pyrogen, or water-deprived for 48 h, in separate experiments. In other experiments, two or all three of these treatments were combined. Core (Tc) and ear skin (Tsk) temperatures were monitored continuously. Based on the incidence of mortality, dehydration was the chief contributor to decompensation when it and other stressors were applied together. Core heating per se did not appear to be a significant factor in the outcomes.