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Lizardcase t1_j9fvkff wrote

Reply to comment by FiascoBarbie in Why are fevers cyclical? by Key-Marionberry-9854

>It is also worth noting that in many bacterial infections that cause fevers, some or most of the pyrogens are released by your own immune system , these are not really related to bacterial reproductive cycles in many cases in any functional way.

This is true. There are some exceptions- see Relapsing Fever. But most bacterial infections I'm aware of, the pathogen load isn't a major determining factor, but rather your immune response.

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FiascoBarbie t1_j9hts1t wrote

Some pathogens produce pyrogens and some are produces by the immune system.

Pathogen load is not a major factor per se in many of these. There are always exceptions. Some viruses produce high fevers and some bacterial infections low or none, but as a general rule viruses don’t really activate the arm that produces high fevers they same way and extra cellular invaders. Also as a general rule, it doesnt follow the life cycle of the organism, Also with some notable exceptions, malaria being one of them.

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