Like most worms, helminths synthesize chitin for their pharynx. Curious to learn how the immune system responds to such an environmentally common allergen, Locksley's team aerosolized purified chitin and sprayed it into the lungs of laboratory mice. This caused a rapid and intense immune response. To rid themselves of the chitin, the mice used the same strategy they use to respond to other allergens, in which interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-13 cells including eosinophils and basophils enter lung tissue to attack the invader. Given that the mice had not been previously exposed to chitin, Locksley wondered, “What actually sensed the chitin in the mice?”

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