The existence of a number of different species of Leishmania, the persistent increase in the infection rate of diseases caused by this parasite (tegumentary and visceral forms), the different epidemiological situations found in regions of both recent and older colonization, and the trend towards urbanization have led to the adoption of different strategies to control leishmaniases in Brazil. Th...

The leishmaniases represent a public health problem in under-developed countries and are considered a neglected disease by the World Health Organization (WHO). They are cuased by Leishmania  parasites with different clinical manifestations. Currently, there is no vaccine, and treatment is in-efficient and is associated with both serious side effects often leading to resistance to the parasites....

Protozoans of the Leishmania genus are the etiological agents of a wide spectrum of diseases commonly known as leishmaniases. Lipid organization of the plasma membrane of the parasite may mimic the lipid organization of mammalian apoptotic cells and play a role in phagocytosis and parasite survival in the mammal host. Here, we analyzed the phospholipid dynamics in the plasma membrane of both th...

Leishmania parasites cause a group of diseases collectively known as leishmaniases. The primary hosts of Leishmania are sylvatic mammals of several orders (Rodentia, Marsupialia, Carnivora, etc.). Under certain circumstances, particularly in peridomestic and domestic transmission foci, synanthropic and domestic animals can act as source of infection for phlebotomine sand fly vectors. Dogs have ...

Amphotericin B is a powerful but toxic drug used against fungal infections and leishmaniases. These diseases would be treated more effectively if non-toxic amphotericin derivatives could be produced on a large scale at low cost. Genetic manipulation of the amphotericin B producer, Streptomyces nodosus, has previously led to the detection and partial characterisation of 8-deoxyamphotericin B, 16...

1. Ashford R, Kohestany K, Karimzad M. Cutaneous leishmaniasis in Kabul: observations on a prolonged epidemic. Ann Trop Med Parasitol 1992;86:361–71. 2. Griffiths WDA. Old World cutaneous leishmaniasis. In: Peters W, Killick-Kendrick R, editors. The leishmaniases in biology and medicine. London: Academic Press; 1987. p. 617–43. 3. Trouiller P, Torreele E, Olliaro P, White N, Foster S, Wirth D, ...

The heterogeneity of CD4+ T cells has been investigated since the late 1970s, when their Th1 and Th2 subsets were coined. Later studies on the cutaneous form of the Leishmaniasis were focused on the experimental models of Leishmania major infection using the susceptible BALB/c and the resistant C57BL/6 mice. At the early 21st century, the regulatory T-cells subpopulation was introduced and its ...

The leishmaniases are diseases caused by pathogenic protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania. Infections are initiated when a sand fly vector inoculates Leishmania parasites into the skin of a mammalian host. Leishmania causes a spectrum of inflammatory cutaneous disease manifestations. The type of cutaneous pathology is determined in part by the infecting Leishmania species, but also by a c...

Leishmaniases are parasitic diseases occurring in endemic tropical and subtropical areas and caused by protozoa of the genus leishmania, transmitted by a diptera (sand fly). We here report a case of topical cutaneous leishmaniasis discovered in a 15-year old boy with painless ulcer on his left leg, who had been staying in South Africa. Clinical examination showed painless non-itchy ulcer, occur...

Leishmania species are the causative agents of the leishmaniases, a spectrum of neglected tropical diseases. Amastigote stage parasites exist within macrophages and scavenge host factors for survival, for example, Leishmania species utilise host sphingolipid for synthesis of complex sphingolipid. In this study L. mexicana endocytosis was shown to be significantly upregulated in amastigotes, ind...