Abdus Salam M.
Leishmaniasis: biological understanding and beyond.
Pak J Med Sci Nov ;20(2):164-8.

An attempt has been made to briefly review the literature regarding current molecular understanding of host parasite relationship in Leishmaniasis. Sequencing of genomes for both human and important microbes including Leishmania major are in progress. The genetic information from both human and parasite have led towards molecular understanding of the interaction between parasite virulence factors and the host response factors. Gene codes for natural resistance associated macrophage protein 1 (NRAMP1), which controls the susceptibility to Leishmania donovani, Salmonella typhimurium and Mycobacterium bovis has been cloned in both mice and human. Research into the host genetics of Leishmaniasis has revealed the fundamental immunological mechanisms determining outcome of infection. It has been shown very conclusively that Tumour Necrosis Factor Alpha (TNF a) MHC and T helper cells (Th) all are associated to determine the susceptibility or resistance to leishmanial infection. Biological insights regarding parasite virulence genes identified as part of the leishmania genome project may be specifically targeted for vaccines or designing drugs for new treatments. This is review article.

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