If the body raises one's temperature to just over 100F to fight infection, cooking at 128F will absolutely wipe bacteria out. There's not many a microbe that can withstand that, IIRC. CR, could you help me out here?
Quick Duck Duck Go search.
"Bacteria won't multiply in the colder temperatures of a refrigerator or freezer, or at temperatures hotter than 141°F. Where they thrive is between 41°F and 140°F, a region known as the "Food Temperature Danger Zone."
"Temperatures hotter than 165°F kill most bacteria within a few seconds. But to do the job, it's a food's internal temperature that has to reach 165°F,"
I believe it is the White blood cells that are fighting the infection and the rise in core temp is a byproduct of that process.