Research on Leishmaniasis Studies

Bi-directional highways and super-seeder tissues underpin parasite dissemination in experimental visceral leishmaniasis.

This study maps parasite dissemination patterns in visceral leishmaniasis using a barcoded library and ecological analysis, revealing bi-directional highways and super-seeder tissues.

Intralysosomal pathogens differentially influence the proteolytic potential of their niche

This study compares how two intralysosomal pathogens, C. burnetii and L. mexicana, affect lysosomal proteolytic activity and proteome changes in host cells.

Exploiting nectar and blood feeding cues and phagostimulants to optimise Attractive Targeted Sugar Baits against a sand fly vector of leishmaniasis.

This study improves Attractive Targeted Sugar Baits (ATSB) by incorporating blood feeding cues like bovine serum albumin and ATP, enhancing insecticide efficacy against sand flies.

The pore-forming protein APOL7C ruptures Leishmania major-containing parasitophorous vacuoles in dendritic cells to promote IL-12 production and the induction of T helper type 1 immunity

A non-canonical role for the ATAD2 ortholog BDF7 in nucleolar ribosome maturation and amastigote survival in Leishmania mexicana.

Genomic Flexibility Through Extrachromosomal Amplifications: A Leishmania Survival Strategy

This study shows Leishmania parasites use extrachromosomal DNA amplification to adapt to drug pressure, with linear and circular amplicons forming through recombination events.

Plants with promising antileishmanial activity in Colombia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

This review and meta-analysis evaluates Colombian medicinal plants for antileishmanial activity, finding promising IC50 values and selectivity indices in certain species.

Insights on genomic profiles of drug resistance and virulence in a cohort of Leishmania infantum isolates from the Mediterranean area

This study analyzes genomic profiles of drug resistance and virulence in Leishmania infantum isolates from the Mediterranean, identifying common resistance biomarkers and mechanisms.

Genomic evidence for phylogenetic congruence with sporadic host shifts in leishmaniaviruses and their parasite hosts

This study investigates the co-phylogenetic history of Leishmania parasites and Leishmaniavirus, finding strong phylogenetic congruence at the subgenus and species level, with weaker signals in some cases due to intraspecific host switching.

Leishmania donovani GP63 paralogues cooperatively orchestrate visceral infection and persistence

This study identifies two essential GP63 paralogues in Leishmania donovani that cooperatively support visceral infection and persistence through distinct mechanisms.

Discovery of Host-Directed Small Molecules with Broad Anti-Leishmanial Efficacy

The paper screens 343 AR-12 analogs to identify host-directed anti-leishmanial compounds, finding four lead compounds with broad in vitro efficacy and a lysozyme-mediated mechanism.

Hidden in plain sight: Discovery of sand flies in Singapore and description of four species new to science

This study identifies eight sand fly species, including four new to science, in Singapore using morphological analysis and DNA barcoding, highlighting the need for biosurveillance due to the risk of leishmaniasis introduction.

Interplay of human macrophage response and natural resistance of L. (V.) panamensis to pentavalent antimony

This study shows that naturally resistant L. (V.) panamensis strains induce distinct macrophage responses compared to sensitive strains, even in the presence of antimony, highlighting host-parasite interactions in drug resistance.

Discovery and characterization of cell-permeable inhibitors of Leishmania mexicana CLK1 using an in-cell target engagement assay

This paper identifies and validates cell-permeable inhibitors of Leishmania mexicana CLK1 using a BRET-based assay, showing WZ8040 effectively targets CLK1 with minimal host toxicity.

Oral L-arginine cures arginase 1-dependent chronic cutaneous leishmaniasis by redirecting the T helper cell response

Oral L-arginine therapy prevents and cures arginase 1-dependent chronic cutaneous leishmaniasis by restoring arginine levels and shifting the T helper cell response.

Leishmania tarentolae and Leishmania infantum in geckos from Mallorca Island, Spain

This study examines the prevalence of Leishmania tarentolae and Leishmania infantum in geckos from Mallorca Island, finding infections in Tarentola mauritanica and coinfections between the two parasites.

Non-canonical activation of the ESCRT machinery is required for division of Leishmania donovani parasitophorous vacuoles and persistence

A novel high-throughput single-cell DNA sequencing method reveals hidden genomic heterogeneity in the unicellular eukaryote Leishmania

This paper introduces a high-throughput single-cell DNA sequencing method for Leishmania, revealing genomic heterogeneity through structural and nucleotide analysis.

A novel Leishmania infantum reference strain for gene editing and the study of visceral leishmaniasis

The paper identifies a Leishmania infantum strain suitable for genetic studies and provides its genome sequence and CRISPR-Cas9 tools for visceral leishmaniasis research.

Evaluation of Leishmania Homologue of Activated C Kinase (LACK) of Leishmania donovani in comparison to glycoprotein 63 as vaccine candidate against visceral leishmaniasis

This study evaluates LACK and gp63 as vaccine candidates against visceral leishmaniasis, finding that LACK induces a Th2-biased response and fails to protect mice, unlike gp63.

CRISPR/Cas9-mediated identification of human macrophage SphK1 as druggable target for development of anti-leishmanial chemotherapeutics

This study identifies SphK1 as a druggable target in human macrophages for anti-leishmanial therapy by showing its role in promoting Leishmania donovani survival through immune evasion and cell fate regulation.

Diversity of trypanosomatids in small mammals from a forest fragment at the wildlife-urban interface in southeastern Brazil: implications for public health surveillance

The paper investigates trypanosomatid diversity in small mammals at a wildlife-urban interface, identifying zoonotic pathogens and highlighting public health risks.

Mice Mucosal Leishmaniasis model shown high parasite load, increased cytotoxicity and impaired IL-10+ cells response

This study evaluates the immunopathological effects of Leishmania amazonensis infection in BALB/c mice via mucosal and dermal routes, finding higher parasite load and inflammation in the mucosa.

Nuclear DNA replication in Leishmania major relies on a single constitutive origin per chromosome supplemented by thousands of stochastic initiation events

Intrinsic differences in hamster and mouse macrophage biology correlate with susceptibility to L. donovani infection

This study compares macrophage biology between hamsters and mice to identify factors contributing to differential susceptibility to L. donovani infection.

Tick-borne coinfections modulate CD8+ T cell response and progressive leishmaniosis

The paper examines how tick-borne coinfections affect CD8+ T cell responses and disease progression in dogs with Leishmania infantum infection.

Effects of meglumine antimoniate and allopurinol treatment on the fecal microbiome profile in dogs with leishmaniosis

This study examines the impact of meglumine antimoniate and allopurinol treatment on the gut microbiome of dogs with leishmaniosis, finding no significant disruptions in microbial diversity or structure.

A novel plasma membrane bicarbonate transporter critical for Leishmania virulence

This paper identifies LmSLC26A as the first bicarbonate transporter in Leishmania, showing its critical role in pH homeostasis and virulence by enabling bicarbonate uptake and coupling with enzymatic activity.

Identification of transporters essential for survival of Leishmania promastigotes in the digestive tract of sand flies

The paper identifies 34 transporter genes essential for Leishmania promastigote survival in sand flies, with V-ATPase subunits critical for parasite differentiation and life cycle progression.

Lead optimization against drug-resistant Leishmania donovani infection: Semi-synthetic derivatives of ethyl linoleate isolated from Indian edible mushroom Meripilus giganteus.

This study isolates and synthesizes ethyl linoleate derivatives from a mushroom, identifying a lead compound effective against drug-resistant Leishmania donovani.