Cutaneous Infection with Leishmania major Mediates Heterologous Protection against Visceral Infection with Leishmania infantum.

ABSTRACT: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a fatal disease of the internal organs caused by the eukaryotic parasite Leishmania. Control of VL would best be achieved through vaccination. However, this has proven to be difficult partly because the correlates of protective immunity are not fully understood. In contrast, protective immunity against nonfatal cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is well defined and mediated by rapidly recruited, IFN-γ-producing Ly6C(+)CD4(+) T cells at the dermal challenge site. Protection against CL is best achieved by prior infection or live vaccination with Leishmania major, termed leishmanization. A long-standing question is whether prior CL or leishmanization can protect against VL. Employing an intradermal challenge model in mice, we report that cutaneous infection with Leish

SUBMITTER: Romano A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4664083 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature