Even in 2010, we were learning of the critical role of mast cells in immune defenses outside of allergic responses.
N. Dietrich, M. Rohde, R. Geffers, A. Kroger, H. Hauser, S. Weiss, N. O. Gekara. Mast cells elicit proinflammatory but not type I interferon responses upon activation of TLRs by bacteria. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2010; 107 (19): 8748 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0912551107
