Where do fevers come from?

[Wise Young]

Researchers at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston recently published (8 August 2007) evidence that that site of the brain that produces fevers is a specific place in the hypothalamus. They showed that infections cause the production of cytokines that stimulate this key site to produce prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) that then acts on a receptor called EP3 in neurons to cause the fever response. They showed this by creating transgenic mice that does not have receptors in various parts of the brain and the mouse that is missing EP3 receptors in this part of the brain are unable to develop fevers. The fever increases the efficiency of the body to fight infection, makes the person lethargic and achy so that they rest and be less active, allowing them to recover faster.

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/stor...77E8BDD2FF6%7D

Wise.

[JimD]

Originally Posted by Wise Young

The fever increases the efficiency of the body to fight infection, makes the person lethargic and achy so that they rest and be less active, allowing them to recover faster.

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/stor...77E8BDD2FF6%7D

Wise.

Is it not true that the increased body temperature also decreases the metabolic activity of the infectious organism, which has evolved to function most effeciently at it's host's normal body temp.?

[Tufelhunden]

Originally Posted by JimD

Is it not true that the increased body temperature also decreases the metabolic activity of the infectious organism, which has evolved to function most effeciently at it's host's normal body temp.?

I believe this is correct. I sometimes wonder if some of these strands of "bug" have evolved around this obstacle, though.

[wheelchairTITAN]

Sometimes I get a period where I go through what I will describe as night sweats. I wonder if btheses are mini-fevers acting tro deal with some as yet unknow infection. Maybe that "infection" never appears because of this.

Are night sweats mini-fevers acting to protect us?