Clinical evidence suggests elderly individuals are at a higher risk of contracting viral infections. Quite notably, older people also have lower mean body temperatures. A team of researchers has now been able to bridge the gap by linking higher body temperature with an increased infection-fighting capability of the gut microorganisms or "microbiota." "High-heat-exposed mice raise their basal body temperature above 38°C, allowing them to produce more bile acids in a gut microbiota-dependent manner," remarks Dr. Takeshi Ichinohe. The authors speculated that signaling of deoxycholic acid (DCA) from the gut microbiota and its plasma membrane-bound receptor "Takeda G-protein-coupled receptor 5" (TGR5)...