Chagas Disease and Leishmaniasis: Immunological Advances, Vaccines, and Innovative Therapeutic Strategies

Dear Colleagues,

Chagas disease and leishmaniasis are two of the most prevalent protozoan neglected tropical diseases in Latin America and beyond, imposing a heavy public health and socio-economic burden. Despite decades of research, effective vaccines remain unavailable, and therapeutic options are limited by toxicity, prolonged regimens, and high rates of treatment failure. In addition, the growing resistance of protozoan parasites to conventional drugs mirrors the global challenge of antimicrobial resistance, highlighting the urgent need for innovative strategies that expand both preventive and therapeutic options.

This Special Issue will bring together advances in immunology and vaccine development, alongside novel therapeutic approaches, to address these unmet challenges regarding Chagas disease and leishmaniasis. We invite contributions that explore vaccine antigens, adjuvants, delivery systems, and immunomodulatory strategies, with a particular focus on approaches that enhance protective immunity and long-term efficacy. Beyond prevention, this Special Issue also welcomes contributions exploring immunologically guided therapies, novel drugs, or repurposed compounds with antiparasitic potential, and synergistic treatment combinations designed to enhance efficacy while minimizing toxicity and resistance. Contributions addressing beneficial microorganisms—whether live, inactivated, or derived from their structural components or metabolites—with a primary emphasis on preclinical research that bridges molecular insights with translational applications are particularly encouraged. Studies investigating molecular targets, host–parasite interactions, and omics-driven approaches are also welcome, given their emerging role in modulating immune responses and improving therapeutic outcomes.

By integrating immunological advances, vaccine innovation, therapeutic design, and microbial interventions, this Special Issue seeks to provide a comprehensive platform for researchers to share discoveries that will shape the next generation of preventive and therapeutic strategies against Chagas disease and leishmaniasis.

Dr. Leonardo Acuña
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

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.

• chagas disease
• leishmaniasis
• neglected tropical diseases (NTDs)
• immunological advances
• vaccine development
• probiotics and beneficial microorganisms
• therapeutic design
• drug repurposing
• natural products
• synergistic therapies