Human sand fly challenge elicits saliva-specific innate and type 1-polarized immunity that promotes Leishmania killing
Maha Abdeladhim, Clarissa Teixeira, Roseanne A. Ressner, Kelly Hummer, Ranadhir Dey, Régis Gomes, Waldionê de Castro, Fernanda Fortes de Araujo, George W. Turiansky, Eva Iniguez, Claudio Meneses, Fabiano Oliveira, Naomi Aronson, Joshua R. Lacsina, Jesus Gilberto Valenzuela, Shaden Kamhawi
This study shows that repeated sand fly bites induce immune responses to salivary proteins that enhance Leishmania killing in macrophages.
Communications Biology · May 5, 2026Peer-reviewedImmunology