Advances in Cell Biology and Immunology of Leishmania, 2nd Edition

Dear Colleagues,

Leishmaniasis is a group of infectious and parasitic diseases caused by trypanosomatid protozoa of the genus Leishmania, and is considered to be a neglected tropical disease. The three primary forms of the disease are cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), visceral leishmaniasis (VL), also known as kala-azar, and mucocutaneous leishmaniasis (MCL). CL is the most common form, whereas VL is the most severe. More than 1 billion people live in areas endemic to leishmaniasis and are at risk of infection, with 30,000 new cases being estimated annually.

Successful treatment of leishmaniasis is challenging, and the treatment plan primarily includes pentavalent antimony, sodium stibogluconate, and meglumine antimoniate. However, antimonial requires painful intramuscular administration, is cardiotoxic, and its adverse effects are particularly evident in HIV-visceral leishmaniasis coinfection. Furthermore, some countries do not recommend sodium stibogluconate due to increased drug resistance. Knowledge of the immunological mechanisms for these diseases can help to develop prognostic testing tools and assist in immunobiological studies, thereby improving their treatment. In this context, studies on the participation of immune responses in the immunopathogenesis of leishmaniasis and ameliorating treatments, such as research on new drugs, are important.

In this second edition of our Special Issue, we invite you to submit original scientific reviews and research articles highlighting the recent advancements in our understanding of all aspects of leishmaniasis, including (1) the development of immune response in the immunopathogenesis of leishmaniasis;  (2) the development of new diagnostic tools; (3) understanding of the molecular and cellular aspects of leishmaniasis; (4) immune cells as therapeutic targets and biomarkers for prediction/diagnosis of leishmaniasis; and (5) new drugs against Leishmania spp.

Dr. Tatjana Souza Lima Keesen
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• Leishmania spp.
• immune response
• pathogenesis
• diagnosis
• new treatment