Catheter pieces coated with equal amounts of wild-type or Δpsm bacteria were inserted subcutaneously into the dorsa of mice, which were treated with cyclophosphamide to obtain leukocyte-deficient immune suppression. Another group of mice infected with wild-type S. epidermidis-coated catheters received saline as control to maintain immune competency. All groups consisted of n=26 mice with two inserted catheters each, resulting in n=52 data points. Occasionally, catheters fell out and were not included in the counting. For organs and lymph nodes, only data points are shown in case bacteria were detected. Especially in lymph nodes, detection of bacteria was rare. *, p<0.05; **, p<0.01; ****, p<0.0001 [1-way ANOVA with Tukey’s post-test. Only comparisons between untreated versus CY-treated, and CY-treated mice infected with wild-type (WT) versus Δpsm S. epidermidis are shown.]