By utilizing elutriation-purified human monocytes, we found that human interferon (IFN) inhibits monocyte migration in a manner similar to migration inhibitory factor (MIF) and does it without demonstrable cytotoxicity. We observed that human IFN-gamma is 10 to 300 times more potent in its MIF activity than is IFN-alpha and that monoclonal antibodies (MoAb) can be used to distinguish between them. Studies with recombinant IFN-gamma indicate that the migration inhibition seen with natural IFN-gamma is due to IFN-gamma itself and is not due to co-purification of another lymphokine with the natural IFN-gamma. Although interferons exhibit MIF activities, there are apparently other cytokines, without antiviral activity, that also have MIF activities. MIF from the lymphoblastoid cell line RPMI 1788 was not neutralized by MoAb to IFN. However, MIF activity in supernatant fluid from human peripheral blood lymphocyte cultures stimulated with Con A-Sepharose was completely neutralized with MoAb anti-IFN-gamma. These data indicate that MIF is really a family of cytokines that inhibit macrophage/monocyte migration and that the major portion of MIF activity associated with crude supernatant of mitogen-stimulated lymphocytes is due to IFN-gamma.