Basophils and IL-4 Dampen the Protective Innate Immune Response Against Cutaneous Staphylococcus aureus Infection

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is responsible for the majority of bacterial skin and soft tissue infections. Furthermore, S. aureus is commonly present in patients with atopic dermatitis, a disease characterized by scratching, which inflicts mechanical injury to the skin. It is currently not fully understood how S. aureus evades the protective immune response mounted by the host. We investigated the regulation of skin innate immune response to S. aureus infection of mechanically injured skin.