Perivascular macrophages mediate neutrophil recruitment during bacterial skin infection

Transendothelial migration of neutrophils in postcapillary venules is a key event in the inflammatory response against pathogens and tissue damage. The precise regulation of this process is incompletely understood. We report that perivascular macrophages are critical for neutrophil migration into skin infected with the pathogen Staphylococcus aureus. Using multiphoton intravital microscopy we showed that neutrophils extravasate from inflamed dermal venules in close proximity to perivascular macrophages, which are a major source of neutrophil chemoattractants. The virulence factor alpha-hemolysin produced by S. aureus lyses perivascular macrophages, which leads to decreased neutrophil transmigration. Our data illustrate a previously unrecognized role for perivascular macrophages in neutrophil recruitment to inflamed skin and indicate that S. aureus uses hemolysin-dependent killing of these cells as an immune evasion strategy.