The purpose of this study was to characterize the basic biology of fever to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in unrestrained mice. Although LPS has been shown to induce fevers in many laboratory animals (e.g., rats, guinea pigs, rabbits), there is some question of whether LPS causes a fall or rise in body temperature (Tb) in mice. Tb was measured by biotelemetry in unrestrained mice maintained at an ambient temperature of 30 degrees C. Intraperitoneal injections of LPS at doses of 1.0, 2.5, and 3.0 mg/kg induced dose-independent prompt decreases of Tb for 5.7 h. After this postinjection reduction, Tb increased and reached a peak at approximately 24 h postinjection. The peak rises in Tb were dose dependent. Changes in Tb due to LPS were accompanied by suppression of locomotor activity. Indomethacin, at a dose that did not affect normal Tb, enhanced the temperature-lowering effect of LPS as well as inhibited the febrile rise of Tb after LPS. Indomethacin did not modify the reduction in activity caused by the injections of LPS. Food intake of the mice was decreased by LPS in a dose-dependent manner, and tolerance developed to a second injection of LPS. We conclude that freely moving mice can develop pronounced and reproducible fevers in response to LPS, which is different in time course, dose-dependent profile, induction of pyrogenic tolerance profile, and mode of inhibition by indomethacin from those responses that have been observed in other species studied so far.