The complicated interactions between Leishmania and the host antigen-presenting cells (APCs) have fundamental effects on the final outcome of the disease. Two major APCs, macrophages and dendritic cells (DCs), play critical roles in mediating resistance and susceptibility during Leishmania infection. Macrophages are the primary resident cell for Leishmania: they phagocytose and permit parasite ...

Leishmania parasites cause a broad range of disease, with cutaneous afflictions being, by far, the most prevalent. Variations in disease severity and symptomatic spectrum are mostly associated to parasite species. One risk factor for the severity and emergence of leishmaniasis is immunosuppression, usually arising by coinfection of the patient with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Interestin...

Leishmania are obligate intracellular parasites that invade and survive within host macrophages and can result in visceral leishmaniasis, a major public health problem worldwide. The entry of intracellular parasites, in general, involves interaction with the plasma membrane of host cells. Cholesterol in host cell membranes was recently shown to be necessary for binding and internalization of Le...

BACKGROUND Leishmaniasis is the world's second deadliest parasitic disease after malaria, and current treatment of the different forms of this disease is far from satisfactory. Alkylphospholipid analogs (APLs) are a family of anticancer drugs that show antileishmanial activity, including the first oral drug (miltefosine) for leishmaniasis and drugs in preclinical/clinical oncology trials, but t...

Leishmania species are protozoan parasites and the causative agents of leishmaniasis, a vector borne disease that imposes a large health burden on individuals living mainly in tropical and subtropical regions. Different Leishmania species are responsible for the distinct clinical patterns, such as cutaneous, mucocutaneous, and visceral leishmaniasis, with the latter being potentially fatal if l...

Protozoan hemoflagellates Leishmania are causative agents of leishmaniases and an important biological model for study of host-pathogen interaction. A wide range of methods of Leishmania cultivation on both biphasic and liquid media is available. Biphasic media are considered to be superior for initial isolation of the parasites and obtaining high promastigote infectivity; however, liquid media...

Leishmania parasites cause a broad range of disease, with cutaneous afflictions being, by far, the most prevalent. Variations in disease severity and symptomatic spectrum are mostly associated to parasite species. One risk factor for the severity and emergence of leishmaniasis is immunosuppression, usually arising by coinfection of the patient with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Interestin...

Leishmania parasites cause a broad range of disease, with cutaneous afflictions being, by far, the most prevalent. Variations in disease severity and symptomatic spectrum are mostly associated to parasite species. One risk factor for the severity and emergence of leishmaniasis is immunosuppression, usually arising by coinfection of the patient with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Interestin...

Amastin is a transmembrane glycoprotein found on the cell surfaces of trypanosomatid parasites. Encoded by a large, diverse gene family, amastin was initially described from the intracellular, amastigote stage of Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania donovani. Genome sequences have subsequently shown that the amastin repertoire is much larger in Leishmania relative to Trypanosoma. However, it is not...

Intracellular protozoan parasites are causative agents of infectious diseases that constitute major health problems for developing countries. Leishmania sp., Trypanosoma cruzi or Toxoplasma gondii are all obligate intracellular protozoan parasites that reside and multiply within the host cells of mammals, including humans. Following up intracellular parasite proliferation is therefore an essent...