It has been suggested that naive T lymphocytes migrate directly from the blood into the lymph nodes, whereas memory T lymphocytes arrive via the afferent lymphatics. However, these routes were defined indirectly by determining only the frequencies of naive and memory T lymphocytes in the afferent and efferent lymph of sheep. In this study naive (CD45RC+) and memory (CD45RC-) CD4+ lymphocytes obtained by thoracic duct cannulation of the rat were injected i.v. and their reappearance in the thoracic duct lymph (efferent lymph) was monitored in absolute numbers over 5 days. In addition, it was investigated whether continuous application of IFN-gamma influences the migration of the two subsets differently. After i.v. injection both naive and memory T lymphocytes returned to the thoracic duct in considerable numbers and with similar kinetic patterns. Interestingly, within 5 days at least 25% of memory phenotype lymphocytes converted to naive phenotype lymphocytes. When naive and memory T lymphocytes were injected in animals receiving a continuous IFN-gamma infusion, only the reappearance of the naive T lymphocytes but not that of memory T lymphocytes in the thoracic duct lymph was reduced. Thus, by investigating the migration of labeled lymphocytes, data were obtained that contradict conclusions drawn by analyzing preferential accumulation of lymphocyte subsets only. Our results suggest that in unstimulated animals naive and memory thoracic duct lymphocytes migrate at a similar tempo and to a comparable extent from the blood via the lymph node into the efferent lymph. IFN-gamma only influences the traffic of naive lymphocytes, indicating that the migration of the two populations is regulated by different mechanisms.