Immune System Maintaining Homeostasis

Maryland Science Content Standard You will be able to explain the role of cells, tissues and organs (in related systems) that effectively carry out the job of defending your body from pathogens: Nervous Endocrine Circulatory Muscular Skeletal Immune

Body Response to Maintain Homeostasis Click here to see a quick movie on the reason for feverClick here to see a quick movie on the reason for fever

Some Background on Fevers Heat is the body's second line of defense against infection. While specialized immune cells called lymphocytes fight invading organisms directly, either by consuming them or by producing antibodies that destroy or otherwise interfere with them, a fever can make it much more difficult for microbes to replicate. Microbes have coevolved with human beings. Thus, their optimal temperature, the temperature at which they grow and replicate most efficiently, is also 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. When the body responds to infection by increasing its temperature, most microbes have a much harder time replicating and can therefore be fought more easily by the body's first line of defense.

How Does Your Body Respond? What sets body temperature? What can change the set point for body temperature? How does stress affect body temperature? How is fever different from a simple rise in body temperature? What role might fever play in fighting infection? Why does the body sweat when a fever breaks?

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