Individual differences in susceptibility to infection and illness following respiratory virus challenge

Abstract

The aim of the present research was to investigate whether susceptibility to experimentally-induced respiratory virus infections and illness is related to measures of personality, physiological state, performance efficiency, and subjective ratings of alertness and motivation obtained prior to virus challenge. Two studies, using different viruses, showed that volunteers who subsequently developed colds had higher temperatures prior to virus challenge than those who remained free from illness. Similarly, those who later had colds were worse than other volunteers on certain performance tests given in the pre-challenge period. The results also showed that task-related motivation was related to subsequent infection. Personality scores were poor predictors of infection and illness, the only exception being introversion, which, in one study, was related to the likelihood of developing a sub-clinical infection.