Dear Colleagues,

Leishmaniasis is a group of infectious and parasitic diseases caused by protozoa of the genus Leishmania. Leishmaniasis manifests a wide clinical spectrum, and among them, visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is the most severe form. VL caused by Leishmania infantum (sin. Leishmania chagasi) is a zoonosis whose main urban reservoir is the dog (Canis familiaris). Importantly, cases of canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) precede HVL cases, emphasizing the important role of dogs in the urban parasite transmission cycle.

Diagnostic method improvements are required in addition to immunoprophylactic approaches that is the main rational strategy to control the human and canine VL. Moreover, additional challenges are the new treatments and predictive disease biomarker studies regarding the CVL resistance and susceptibility outcome.

We invite investigators to contribute original research articles as well as review articles that will stimulate the continuing efforts to advance in the field of diagnosis, immunopathologic, treatment, and vaccine approaches against CVL.

Potential topics include but are not limited to:

• Development and testing of novel and effective anti-VL vaccines;
• Identification of antigenic targets for both diagnosis and vaccine approaches;
• Analysis of new adjuvants and antigenic formulations able to enhance the immunogenicity and efficacy;
• Identifying biomarkers/correlates of protective immunity against VL;
• New methodologies useful to perform the selection and/or testing of vaccine candidates using in vitro, preclinical, and clinical trial platforms;
• High-performance methodologies to screening field samples, including new methodologies able to more accurately induce the diagnosis of VL;
• Development and testing of new immunobiologicals to act as immunotherapy;
• Studies focusing on the interaction of parasite and sandfly vectors of Leishmania

Before submission, authors should carefully read over the journal’s Author Guidelines, which are located at: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/pathogens/instructions.

Dr. Rodolfo Cordeiro Giunchetti
Dr. Reysla Maria da Silveira Mariano
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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