Novel Areas for Prevention and Control of Leishmaniosis

A special issue of Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease (ISSN 2414-6366). This special issue belongs to the section "Vector-Borne Diseases".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 November 2019) | Viewed by 4711

Special Issue Editors

Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
Interests: immunobiology; parasitic infections; leishmaniasis
Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Ohio State University, 337 Hamilton Hall, 1645 Neil Ave, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
Interests: immunology; mechanisms of infectious and neoplastic disease; chemoprevention
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Leishmaniasis is considered to be the most important parasitic disease affecting humans after malaria. It affects millions of people all over the world. Leishmania is a protozoan parasite transmitted by sand flies, which can cause severe disfiguring ulcers and systemic diseases that can be fatal when not treated. Until recently, the main form of treatment for leishmaniasis was pentavalent antimonials, which was first used over 80 years ago. More recently, new and effective therapies have been discovered. Recent work has further clarified mechanisms of pathogenesis and immunity to leishmaniasis. This includes the role of sand fly saliva on infection by the parasite. Generally, individuals who have once been infected are immune to subsequent re-infection. Consequently, prevention of this parasitic disease using a vaccine is a potentially viable approach and is an area of active research. As some disease causing Leishmania parasites have animal reservoirs, various control programs have been attempted, some more effective than others.

The Special Issue on “Leishmaniasis” may include the following topics:

The scope of Leishmaniasis in the world

Present and new therapies for Visceral Leishmaniasis

Present and new therapies for Cutaneous Leishmaniasis

Progress in the development of vaccines for Leishmaniasis

Control methods for the prevention of Leishmaniasis

Updates on host immune responses to Cutaneous, Muco-cutaneous and Visceral Leishmaniasis

Mechanisms of immune evasion by Leishmania parasites

The sand flies involved in the spread of Leishmaniasis

Effect of Sand fly Saliva on Leishmania Infection.

Prof. John David
Prof. Abhay Satoskar
Dr. Steve Oghumu
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • prevention
  • control
  • Leishmaniosis
  • vaccines
  • immunobiology
  • pathogenesis

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

16 pages, 1385 KiB  
Review
Role of Host and Parasite MIF Cytokines during Leishmania Infection
by Thomas Holowka and Richard Bucala
Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2020, 5(1), 46; https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed5010046 - 20 Mar 2020
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3568
Abstract
Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is an immunoregulatory cytokine that has been extensively characterized in human disease and in mouse models. Its pro-inflammatory functions in mammals includes the retention of tissue macrophages and a unique ability to counteract the immunosuppressive activity of glucocorticoids. [...] Read more.
Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is an immunoregulatory cytokine that has been extensively characterized in human disease and in mouse models. Its pro-inflammatory functions in mammals includes the retention of tissue macrophages and a unique ability to counteract the immunosuppressive activity of glucocorticoids. MIF also acts as a survival factor by preventing activation-induced apoptosis and by promoting sustained expression of inflammatory factors such as TNF-α and nitric oxide. The pro-inflammatory activity of MIF has been shown to be protective against Leishmania major infection in mouse models of cutaneous disease, however the precise role of this cytokine in human infections is less clear. Moreover, various species of Leishmania produce their own MIF orthologs, and there is evidence that these may drive an inflammatory environment that is detrimental to the host response. Herein the immune response to Leishmania in mouse models and humans will be reviewed, and the properties and activities of mammalian and Leishmania MIF will be integrated into the current understandings in this field. Furthermore, the prospect of targeting Leishmania MIF for therapeutic purposes will be discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Areas for Prevention and Control of Leishmaniosis)
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