<i>L. amazonensis</i> parasitophorous vacuole expansion occurs faster in fibroblasts than in macrophages.

<p>(A,C) Intracellular growth of <i>L. amazonensis</i> amastigotes in mouse BMM (A) or MEF (embryonic fibroblasts) (C). BMM or MEFs were exposed to amastigotes at a MOI = 1 for 30 min or MOI = 10 for 60 min, respectively. Cells were washed, incubated for 1, 24, 48, and 72 h, and the number of intracellular parasites was determined. In fibroblasts parasites per microscopic field were quantified, to compensate for cell division during the experimental period. The data corresponds to the mean +/− SD of triplicates. (B,D) The average size of the parasitophorous vacuole (PV) in BMM (B) and MEFs (D) increases in parallel with the number of intracellular amastigotes. In MEFs the maximum PV expansion is reached earlier than in BMM. The values represent the mean of 50 independent measurements. (E) Phase contrast images illustrating the rapid expansion of a <i>L. amazonensis</i> PV in a fibroblast (arrows). Bar = 5 µm.