Aspirin can alter the function of the hypothalamus and decrease body temperature when you have a fever.
What is the purpose of a fever when you get a bacterial or viral disease? Is a fever good or bad? What effect does a fever have on bacterial/viral infections? Explain.
HINT: What are the optimal conditions for the growth/reproductions of bacterial/viruses that infect humans? Would a fever alter these conditions? If you take aspirin to decrease a fever, would that make the conditions more or less favorable for the bacteria/viruses?
Fever is good. Fever in response to a bacterial/ viral infection is a first-line immune response to fight against the infection. The optimum temperature for bacteria/viruses to replicate is body temperature (~37ºC). Higher or lower temperatures affect the doubling time of the bacteria/ virus. So, by increasing the body temperature (fever), the infection can be controlled by slowing down the bacterial/ viral replication.
In addition fever, also stimulates the immune cells to act against the infection by promoting the migration of cytotoxic T cells faster in the bloodstream.
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