Leishmania -Induced Dendritic Cell Migration and Its Potential Contribution to Parasite Dissemination

, an intracellular parasite species, causes lesions on the skin and in the mucosa and internal organs. The dissemination of infected host cells containing is crucial to parasite survival and the establishment of infection. Migratory phenomena and the mechanisms underlying the dissemination of -infected human dendritic cells (hDCs) remain poorly understood. The present study aimed to investigate differences among factors involved in hDC migration by comparing infection with visceral leishmaniasis (VL) induced by with diverse clinical forms of tegumentary leishmaniasis (TL) induced by or . Following the infection of hDCs by isolates obtained from patients with different clinical forms of , the formation of adhesion complexes, actin polymerization, and CCR7 expression were evaluated. We observed increased hDC migration following infection with isolates of (VL), as well as disseminated (DL) and diffuse (DCL) forms of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) caused by and , respectively. Increased expression of proteins involved in adhesion complex formation and actin polymerization, as well as higher CCR7 expression, were seen in hDCs infected with , DL and DCL isolates. Together, our results suggest that hDCs play an important role in the dissemination of parasites in the vertebrate host.