Human tumor necrosis factor is a chemoattractant for the parasite Entamoeba histolytica

In an analysis of the molecular factors triggering amebiasis, we investigated the chemotaxis of Entamoeba histolytica toward tumor necrosis factor (TNF) in vitro, using quantitative imaging techniques. Our findings enabled us to propose a hitherto unknown role for TNF as a chemokinetic and chemoattractant agent for this parasite.