Shigella then induces pyroptosis to escape the macrophage and access the basolateral surface of the epithelium.67–69 Intracellular replication70,71 and cell-to-cell spread of Shigella72,73 trigger the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including IL-8, by the epithelium,74,75 which recruit neutrophils to the site of the infection. Here, CXCL8 is linked to infection.