I know fevers are the body’s method of killing foreign bacteria and infections and such by raising the body’s temperature, but how exactly does it raise the body’s temperature?
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Infections trigger the immune system, leading to activation of immune cells, antibodies, and various other molecules. Some of these molecules are “pyrogens” (esp interleukin-1, interleukin-6, and TNF-alpha). These pyrogens act on the thermoregulatory center of the brain (in the hypothalamus) to raise the temperature setpoint (the temperature that the body tries to maintain). The body then raises its temperature by a variety of methods (eg increasing the BMR, decreasing sweating, constricting blood vessels that supply the skin, shivering). The higher temperature of the fever augments the function of the immune system, while stressing invading microorganisms. (Of course, too high a fever can be damaging).
When the infection subsides, the immune system deactivates, and the entire process runs in reverse to restore normal body temperature (eg, dilating blood vessels that supply the skin, increasing sweating).
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