Fighting neglected tropical diseases in the postgenomic era

Abstract

At the beginning of the 21st century, the so-called neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) remain the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. However, the recent completion of the genome sequencing of major pathogens (e.g. Plasmodium falciparum, Trypanosoma brucei and Leishmania infantum) has led to renewed hope. Major efforts should focus on the translation of genome information into tools (e.g. new drugs and vaccines) to reduce the global burden of NTDs. Meanwhile, some simple and non-expensive measures could lead to a significant reduction in the incidence of some of these diseases.