Abstract
Visceral leishmaniasis is a chronic parasitic disease associated with severe immune dysfunction. Treatment options are limited to relatively toxic drugs, and there is no vaccine for humans available. Hence, there is an urgent need to better understand immune responses following infection with Leishmania species by studying animal models of disease and clinical samples from patients. Here, we review recent discoveries in these areas and highlight shortcomings in our knowledge that need to be addressed if better treatment options are to be developed and effective vaccines designed.
Highlights
Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by protozoan parasites belonging to the genus Leishmania
References for this article were identified through PubMed searches for articles published from 1982 to 2013 using the terms ‘‘Leishmania,’’ ‘‘donovani,’’ ‘‘infantum,’’ ‘‘human,’’ ‘‘immune regulation,’’ ‘‘visceral leishmaniasis,’’ ‘‘ cells and CD3+ (T cells),’’ ‘‘dendritic cell,’’ ‘‘monocyte,’’ ‘‘neutrophil,’’ ‘‘cytokine,’’ ‘‘chemokine,’’ and ‘‘vaccine.’’ Relevant books and articles published between 1965 and 2013 were selected through searches in the authors’ personal files
The proinflammatory environment that develops in order to control parasite growth in the liver of mice and in asymptomatic individuals infected with L. donovani (Figure 1) has the potential to cause tissue damage, as can be the case during chronic infection
Summary
Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by protozoan parasites belonging to the genus Leishmania. One of the major hurdles for developing vaccines to either prevent or treat VL has been a limited understanding of the precise immune mechanisms required for controlling parasite growth without causing disease.
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