Acute infections, in general, are associated with a variable degree of muscle wasting in both animals and humans, which is a costly though essen- tial process for host survival. This ‘acute phase reaction’ is the result of a combined effect of classical hormones and cytokines, an effect that inhibits muscle protein synthesis and accelerates proteolysis leading to tissue wasting ŽBeisel, 1998; Friman and Ilb ̈ack, 1998.. Interferons