C57BL/6J wild-type (WT) and NOX2 knockout (KO) mice (n=25-30/group) were infected with a S. aureus-dsRed strain and sacrificed at days 3 (A, C, and E) and 7 (B, D, and F) for quantification of (A and B) bacterial burden, (C and D) cell infiltrates in the brain, galea, and bone flap, and (E and F) dsRed median fluorescent intensity (MdFI) as an indicator of intracellular bacteria. Results are combined from three independent experiments and analyzed by an unpaired two-tailed Student t-test (*, p < 0.05; **, p < 0.01; ***, p < 0.001; and ****, p < 0.0001).