Scientists in Shanghai have found new evidence explaining how fever helps the boost the immune cells.

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They found that fever alters surface proteins on immune cells like lymphocytes to make them better able to travel via blood vessels to reach the site of infection.

The study was conducted on mice by researchers from the Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology of Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The researchers explained that the fever could promote the protection mechanism of the human body in fighting against pathogen infection.

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“The protein Hsp90 contained in the immune cells can be motivated when the body’s temperature goes up to 38.5 degrees Celsius,” the study published in the journal Immunity said.

“The protein will then be bonded on the cell membrane.

“It will now work with integrins alpha4 to accelerate the trafficking of the immune cells to the infection site in order to get rid of the pathogen.”

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The researchers found the artificial destruction of the combination of Hsp90 and alpha4 will greatly increase the death rate during bacterial infection.



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