Recently, monocytic cells were suggested to systemically transport Toxoplasma tachyzoites during acute infection in mice. The mechanism underlying this shuttling function may partly be explained by dramatically enhanced host-cell motility upon parasite invasion. Here, we report that infection of human and murine macrophages in vitro resulted in augmented migration across a transwell membrane, linked to host-cell differentiation and to the parasite genotype. The hypermotility phenotype was absent in infected monocytes, NK, B or T-cells. In contrast to previous observations with dendritic cells, adoptive transfer of infected macrophages or lymphocytes did not exacerbate infection in mice compared to inoculation with free parasites.
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