Essentials in Leishmaniasis Elimination

Leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical infectious disease caused by multiple species of an obligate intracellular protozoan pathogen of the genus Leishmania. The disease, with a worldwide prevalence of 12 million cases, is endemic in tropical and subtropical countries and affects mainly the poor in remote areas. Being a vector-borne disease, the parasite is transmitted through the bite of a Phlebotomine female sand fly resulting in a spectrum of diseases with symptoms ranging from self-healing ulcers to fatal infections affecting the liver and spleen depending upon the species infected. The current treatment approach for leishmaniasis includes antiparasitic drugs, combinational drugs, and immunotherapy. However, these therapeutics are not successful in eradicating Leishmaniasis due to adverse side effects, resistance development against drugs, high cost of production, etc. Despite being an infectious disease, there is no vaccine approved currently against any type of Leishmaniasis for use in humans. Recent studies have reported novel approaches to vaccine development and the important role of the innate immune system and its interaction with Leishmania for the development of an effective vaccine against leishmaniasis.