When normal mice were allowed to scratch, their ears became swollen and filled with inflammatory immune cells called neutrophils. In contrast, inflammation and swelling were much milder in normal mice ...

Scratching a mosquito bite can offer a moment of bliss, and now scientists know why: scratching activates an immune response that helps to protect the skin against harmful infections, at least in mice ...

Mosquito bites are itchy and we tend to scratch itchy things. The scratching feels good in the short term but tends to hasten and exacerbate swelling and inflammation. This leads to more scratching ...