Experimental models for leishmaniasis and for testing anti-leishmanial vaccines.
In public health terms, leishmaniases are diseases of humans and dogs, whereas, in epidemiological terms, Leishmania spp. are considered to represent infections of a wide variety of animals, which represent the natural reservoirs of the various parasite species involved. Humans and dogs (which may be considered secondary or 'accidental' hosts in the leishmanial life-cycle) often exhibit severe clinical signs and symptoms when infected, whereas reservoir hosts generally show a few, minor or no signs. This situation makes the definition of a suitable laboratory model a difficult one, since the various experimental hosts may behave either like a reservoir or an accidental host. This review discusses the concept of animal models for leishmaniases and provides a critical evaluation of the most common experimental models and their respective advantages and disadvantages. In this state-of-the-art review, particular emphasis is given to the value of using mouse, hamster, cotton-rat, dog and primate models, especially in the context of testing potential anti-leishmanial vaccines.
Hommel
M
M
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, U.K.
Jaffe
C L
CL
Travi
B
B
Milon
G
G
D000818:Animals; D006224:Cricetinae; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004198:Disease Susceptibility; D004285:Dogs; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D006801:Humans; D007891:Leishmania / Q000472:pathogenicity; D007896:Leishmaniasis / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D051379:Mice; D010586:Phagocytes / Q000469:parasitology; D011323:Primates / Q000469:parasitology; D016052:Protozoan Vaccines; D016205:Sigmodontinae / Q000469:parasitology; D013045:Species Specificity
D016052:Protozoan Vaccines