title: Imaging host-Leishmania interactions: significance in visceral leishmaniasis.
abstract: Leishmaniasis is a neglected disease that is associated with a spectrum of clinical manifestations ranging from self-healing cutaneous lesions to fatal visceral infections, which primarily depends on the parasite species. In visceral leishmaniasis (VL), as opposed to cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), parasites that infect host cells at the sand fly bite site have the striking ability to disseminate to visceral organs where they proliferate and persist for long periods of time. Imaging the dynamics of the host-Leishmania interaction in VL provides a powerful approach to understanding the mechanisms underlying host cell invasion, Leishmania dissemination and persistence within visceral organs and, to dissecting the immune responses to infection. Therefore, by allowing the visualization of the critical steps involved in the pathogenesis of VL, state-of-the-art microscopy technologies have the great potential to aid in the identification of better intervention strategies for this devastating disease. In this review, we emphasize the current knowledge and the potential significance of imaging technologies in understanding the infection process of visceralizing Leishmania species. Then, we discuss how application of innovative microscopy technologies to the study of VL will provide rich opportunities for investigating host-parasite interactions at a previously unexplored level and elucidating visceral disease-promoting mechanisms.
authors.affiliation: INSERM U1095, URMITE-UMR CNRS 7278, University of Aix-Marseille, Marseille, France. claire.lise.forestier@inserm.fr
authors.forename: C-L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Forestier
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000981:Antiprotozoal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007891:Leishmania / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000473:pathology; D008853:Microscopy; D014611:Vaccination
chemical_list: D000981:Antiprotozoal Agents
keywords: host-Leishmania interactions; imaging technologies; visceral leishmaniasis