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During an allergic response, some immune cells digest others

Mast cells double-cross some white blood cells, trapping them and repurposing their parts

A purple blob is shown in the middle of a blue-and-white marbled wavelike pattern.

This mast cell (purple, surrounded by blue-stained muscle tissue) is packed with granules of chemicals that can be released to trigger allergic inflammation in the body.

Jose Luis Calvo Martin and Jose Enrique Garcia-Mauriño Muzquiz/Getty Images

By Caroline Hemphill

Certain immune cells backstab their cellular coworkers during allergic reactions.

Mast cells, the security patrols of the immune system, can