The current rapid spread of leishmaniases caused by Leishmania tropica and the complexity of its clinical spectrum call for this parasite's epidemiological and evolutionary investigation. Evaluation of its population structure by isoenzyme electrophoresis and previous molecular biological analysis has proved difficult. In this study, we used 21 microsatellite loci to type 117 strains from diffe...

Leishmaniases are neglected parasitic diseases in spite of the major burden they inflict on public health. The identification of novel drugs and targets constitutes a research priority. For that purpose we used Leishmania infantum initiation factor 4A (LieIF), an essential translation initiation factor that belongs to the DEAD-box proteins family, as a potential drug target. We modeled its stru...

Leishmaniases are neglected infectious diseases caused by parasites of the 'protozoan' genus Leishmania. Depending on the parasite species, different clinical forms are known as cutaneous, muco-cutaneous, and the visceral leishmaniasis (VL). VL is particularly fatal and the therapy presents limitations. In the search for new anti-leishmanial hit compounds, seven natural sesquiterpene lactones w...

Introduction; The efficacy of Tagetes minuta (Asteraceae), Acalypha fruticosa (Euphorbiaciae) and Tarchonanthus camphoratus (Compositae) extracts were evaluated for the control of Phlebotomus duboscqi while incorporated in sucrose. This is the first time plant extracts have been used in sucrose baits against sand flies as opposed to environmentally unfriendly synthetic insecticides. Materials a...

Over the past years, leishmaniases have become a public health issue in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul, particularly in Campo Grande, the state capital. The purpose of this study was to detect the presence of Leishmania DNA in the population of phlebotomine sandflies using DNA amplification by PCR. Insect captures were carried out from 4 pm. to 7 am for 4 consecutive days each month ...

Signaling through the Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway plays a pivotal role in the regulation of multiple cellular processes, including proliferation, apoptosis, protein synthesis and autophagy. It is therefore a major target of microbial infections and tumors. Protozoa of the Leishmania genus cause a wide spectrum of diseases in humans, termed leishmaniases, with clinical manif...

Meglumine antimoniate (MA) and sodium stibogluconate are pentavalent antimony (SbV) drugs used since the mid-1940s. Notwithstanding the fact that they are first-choice drugs for the treatment of leishmaniases, there are gaps in our knowledge of their toxicological profile, mode of action and kinetics. Little is known about the distribution of antimony in tissues after SbV administration. In thi...

Vaccination is the most effective method of preventing infectious diseases. Since the eradication of small pox in 1976, many other potentially life compromising if not threatening diseases have been dealt with subsequently. This event was a major leap not only in the scientific world already burdened with many diseases but also in the mindset of the common man who became more receptive to novel...

Vector-borne diseases closely associated with the environment, such as leishmaniases, have been a usual argument about the deleterious impact of climate change on public health. From the biological point of view interaction of different variables has different and even conflicting effects on the survival of vectors and the probability transmission of pathogens. The results on ecoepidemiology of...

Leishmaniases are important vector-borne disease with a wide range of clinical symptoms in humans and domestic animals. Leishmania species infecting humans are transmitted by phlebotomine sand flies belonging to genera Phlebotomus and Lutzomyia. Here we summarize main aspects of Leishmania development in sand flies. In the vector, Leishmania development is confined to the digestive tract, mainl...