Pain and Itch: Beneficial or Harmful to Antimicrobial Defense?

Pain and itch are unpleasant sensations accompanying many microbial infections. Recent studies demonstrate that pain- and itch-mediating somatosensory neurons are able to directly detect pathogens, triggering neuronal activation and subsequent regulation of immune responses. We discuss whether pain and/or itch during infection is beneficial or harmful to host antimicrobial defense.