Neutrophils recruited through high endothelial venules of the lymph nodes via PNAd intercept disseminatingStaphylococcus aureus

Significance Staphylococcus aureus is a bacterium causing many community-acquired skin infections. However, as dissemination from skin infections is rare, we were interested in understanding what mechanisms the body has in place to prevent escape of bacteria from skin infections via lymphatics to the rest of the body. We found that after infection, neutrophils were almost immediately recruited to the lymph nodes via specialized blood vessels to cut bacteria off at the pass. Neutrophils worked together with resident macrophages to prevent S. aureus spread, as removing both these immune cells from the lymph nodes resulted in bacterial dissemination to peripheral organs. This study demonstrates the importance of the lymph node neutrophils in early infection to prevent systemic dissemination of bacteria.