Inflammation-induced disruption of SCS macrophages impairs B cell responses to secondary infection

Bacterial infection breaks the lymph node barrier During infections, lymph nodes are command central. Fragments from invading pathogens enter lymph nodes through the lymph. There, specialized cells called subcapsular sinus (SCS) macrophages capture these antigens and use them to initiate humoral immunity. Despite being such important players, Gaya et al. report that in mice, infection throws these organized sentinels into disarray (see the Perspective by Buzsaki). Disrupting SCS macrophages had important consequences: Bacterially infected mice could not respond as efficiently to a subsequent viral infection. Science , this issue p. 667 ; see also p. 612