Fever can boost immune mechanism: Study

Got a fever? Wait for a while and take antipyretics later.

Researchers from the Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology of Chinese Academy of Sciences suggested that patients with a fever higher than 38.5 degrees Celsius should take fever-reducing medicines after sustaining for about six hours. They explained that the fever could promote the protection mechanism of the human body in fighting against pathogen infection.

The protein Hsp90 contained in the immune cells can be motivated when the body's temperature goes up to 38.5 degrees Celsius. The protein will then be bonded on the cell membrane and work with integrins alpha4 to accelerate the trafficking of the immune cells to the infection site in order to get rid of the pathogen, said the study published in the journal Immunity, reports Xinhua.

Working with mice with fevers induced by salmonella infections, the researchers found the artificial destruction of the combination of Hsp90 and alpha4 will greatly increase the death rate during bacterial infection.