What happens in your body to cause you to get a fever?

1 answer:

4 0

The presence of a fever is usually related to stimulation of the body's immune response. Fever can support the immune system's attempt to gain advantage over infectious agents, such as viruses and bacteria, and it makes the body less favorable as a host for replicating viruses and bacteria, which are temperature sensitive. Infectious agents are not the only causes of fever, however. Amphetamine abuse and alcohol withdrawal can both elicit high temperatures, for example. And environmental fevers--such as those associated with heat stroke and related illnesses--can also occur.

The hypothalamus, which sits at the base of the brain, acts as the body's thermostat. It is triggered by floating biochemical substances called pyrogens, which flow from sites where the immune system has identified potential trouble to the hypothalamus via the bloodstream. Some pyrogens are produced by body tissue; many pathogens also produce pyrogens. When the hypothalamus detects them, it tells the body to generate and retain more heat, thus producing a fever. Children typically get higher and quicker fevers, reflecting the effects of the pyrogens upon an inexperienced immune system.

You might be interested in

Nitrogen cycle start to finish

morpeh [17]

The nitrogen cycle is the biogeochemical cycle by which nitrogen is converted into multiple chemical forms as it circulates among atmosphere, terrestrial, and marine ecosystems. ... Important processes in the nitrogen cycle include fixation, ammonification, nitrification, and denitrification.

5 0

3 years ago

Which statements accurate describe tropical rain forest

Dmitry_Shevchenko [17]

what are the statements?

3 0

3 years ago

Read 2 more answers

What accounts for genetic biodiversity existing in modern multicellular organisms?

EastWind [94]

DNA mutations that actually originate in the gametes is mainly responsible for genetic biodiversity existing in modern organisms. The term biodiversity actually refers to the variety as well as variability of life that is found on the planet earth. his variety can be seen between species, the ecosystem and within the species.<span />

8 0

3 years ago

What is the explanation of why avery, macleod, and mccarty's in vitro transformation experiment showed that dna, but not rna or

astraxan [27]

The Griffith's experiment, the Avery-MacLeod-McCarty experiment, and the Hershey–Chase experiments were the set of experiments that established DNA as the key hereditary molecule. The Avery-MacLeod-McCarty experiment was an extension to the Griffith's experiment. The heat killed virulent S strain cells of the Griffith's experiment were lysed to form a supernatant containing a mix of RNA, DNA, proteins and lipids from the cell. The supernatent was equally divided into 3 parts after the removal of the lipids. The 3 parts were respectively treated with an RNAase to degrade the RNA, DNAase to degrade the DNA and proteinase to degrade the proteins. The treated supernatant was then added into the culture containing the non-virulent R cells. In case of the supernatant treated with the DNAse, no transformation of R cells into S cells occurred. The transformation of R cells to S cells occurred in the proteinase and the RNAse cases. This indicated that DNA was the hereditary molecule and not protein or RNA.

5 0

3 years ago

Isovolumetric relaxation and ventricular filling (two phases of the cardiac cycle) take place during __________. view available

jekas [21]

Isovelumetric relaxation and ventricular filling take place during Ventricular diastole.. Both occur during ventricular diastole when the ventricles are not actively contracting and ejecting blood. Ventricular diastole is the period during which the two ventricles are relaxing from contortions of contraction, then dilating and filling; atrial diastole is the period during which the two atria are relaxing, dilating, and filling.

5 0

3 years ago