To induce an eczema-like phenotype, mice were shaved and treated by epicutaneous patching on the back skin with Der p 2, a major allergen from the house dust mite Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus28. Since the shaving in itself mimics mechanical injury inflicted by scratching of dry itchy skin in human eczema, we compared shaved mice patched with Der p 2 to that of unshaved unchallenged mice. To examine skin pathology at day 50, a 4 mm2 punch biopsy was taken from macroscopically inflamed back skin.
