The Leishmania major LACK antigen is a key target of the immune response in susceptible BALB/c mice and remains a viable vaccine candidate for human leishmaniasis. We describe the genomic organization of the four lack genes in the L. major diploid genome together with results of selected lack gene targeting. Parasites containing a single lack gene in either the upstream or downstream locus grew...

One of the characteristic features of the neuropathy of lepromatous leprosy is stated to be the preservation of the commonly elicited deep tendon reflexes (9). This suggests the integrity of the reflex arc related to the large proximal limb muscles. Interest in muscle pathology in leprosy has recently been revi ved following experimental (II) and human (8) evidence of parasitization of striated...

The presence of Leptopilina heterotoma or Leptopilina boulardi eggs in the hemocoel of a Drosophila melanogaster larva induces the differentiation of lamellocytes, the blood cells that encapsulate foreign objects. L. boulardi eggs are encapsulated by the newly differentiated lamellocytes, but L. heterotoma eggs are not. The induced lamellocytes in host larvae with L. heterotoma eggs undergo the...

Several recent reviews in the medical literature maintain that only heterozygous G6PD deficient females are relatively protected against falciparum malaria. However, a number of population studies pro-vide compelling evidence that both the hemizygous G6PD deficient male and homozygous G6PD deficient female are also relatively protected against falciparum parasitization. An epidemiologic critiqu...