Why Do We Feel Sick When Infected--Can Altruism Play a Role?

PLoS Biol. 2015 Oct 16;13(10):e1002276. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1002276. eCollection 2015 Oct.

Abstract

When we contract an infection, we typically feel sick and behave accordingly. Symptoms of sickness behavior (SB) include anorexia, hypersomnia, depression, and reduced social interactions. SB affects species spanning from arthropods to vertebrates, is triggered nonspecifically by viruses, bacteria, and parasites, and is orchestrated by a complex network of cytokines and neuroendocrine pathways; clearly, it has been naturally selected. Nonetheless, SB seems evolutionarily costly: it promotes starvation and predation and reduces reproductive opportunities. How could SB persist? Former explanations focused on individual fitness, invoking improved resistance to pathogens. Could prevention of disease transmission, propagating in populations through kin selection, also contribute to SB?

MeSH terms

  • Altruism*
  • Animals
  • Attitude to Health
  • Biological Evolution*
  • Cost of Illness
  • Humans
  • Illness Behavior
  • Infection Control*
  • Infections / immunology
  • Infections / physiopathology*
  • Infections / transmission
  • Models, Biological*
  • Sick Role

Grants and funding

The authors received no specific funding for this work.