Bird Flu

[A.G]

I have never studied biology expect very basic texts in grade 8. I have heard the virus cant survive at 70 degree C, why not raise the body temp to 71 degrees C. I am aware that Mammalian muscle becomes rigid with heat rigor at about 50°C, and obviously should this temperature be reached the sudden rigidity of the whole body would render life impossible but if the patient is an induced coma, would this work?


A.G

[CraigD]

Originally Posted by A.G

I have heard the virus cant survive at 70 degree C, why not raise the body temp to 71 degrees C. I am aware that Mammalian muscle becomes rigid with heat rigor at about 50°C, and obviously should this temperature be reached the sudden rigidity of the whole body would render life impossible but if the patient is an induced coma, would this work?

I don’t think so.

Unfortunately, the various proteins that make up vital structures in the body have denaturation (“melting”) points similar to viruses, some very low (~ 40° C). Some denaturation is reversible, but not all. 71° C would literally cook the human body, leaving it no more capable of resuming normal metabolism (life) than the targeted virus.

[A.G]

At what temperature do the white and red blood cells break down?What if a device could pump the blood out of the body, heat it to 71, destroy the virus, cool it to 40 and pump it back into the body?


A.G

[CraigD]

I’d worry less about the proteins in blood cells, which, as A.G. notes, can be removed then returned to the body, than of the many important proteins that allow cells to function, such as the MHC.

For a non-specialists like me, finding the precise denaturation temperature (and other factors) of specific proteins is difficult. Proteins of a similar molecular weight (about 45 kDa) appear to begin denaturing below 45°C.

There’s a lot of literature describing artificial techniques to produce proteins with higher – sometimes as much as 45° higher – denaturation points. Commercial products such as Humulin insulin, which doesn’t break down if not refrigerated, is the result of such research. The naturally occurring proteins in a human body, however, aren’t engineered to survive high temperatures, so human tissue is destroyed by temperatures just moderately greater than normal.

PS: Welcome to hypography, A.G.! Please feel free to use the Introductions forum to tell everyone here a bit about yourself and you scientific interests.

[Biochemist]

Originally Posted by A.G

At what temperature do the white and red blood cells break down?What if a device could pump the blood out of the body, heat it to 71, destroy the virus, cool it to 40 and pump it back into the body?

Normal body temp is about 23C, 98.6F. Death usually occurs at or before about 27C, or 107F if that temp is maintained for any duration (30 minutes).

71C would be a little like turning a patient into a pot roast.