title: The Contribution of Immune Evasive Mechanisms to Parasite Persistence in Visceral Leishmaniasis.
abstract: Leishmania is a genus of protozoan parasites that give rise to a range of diseases called Leishmaniasis that affects annually an estimated 1.3 million people from 88 countries. Leishmania donovani and Leishmania (L.) infantum chagasi are responsible to cause the visceral leishmaniasis. The parasite can use assorted strategies to interfere with the host homeostasis to establish persistent infections that without treatment can be lethal. In this review, we highlight the mechanisms involved in the parasite subversion of the host protective immune response and how alterations of host tissue physiology and vascular remodeling during VL could affect the organ-specific immunity against Leishmania parasites.
authors.affiliation: The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford , Oxford , UK.
authors.forename: Elisangela Oliveira
authors.initials: EO
authors.lastname: de Freitas
authors.affiliation: The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford , Oxford , UK.
authors.forename: Fabiana Maria de Souza
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Leoratti
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro , Rio de Janeiro , Brazil.
authors.forename: Célio Geraldo
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Freire-de-Lima
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Biologia do Sistema Imune, Departmento de Imunologia, Instituto de Microbiologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro , Rio de Janeiro , Brazil.
authors.forename: Alexandre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Morrot
authors.affiliation: Laboratório Integrado de Microbiologia e Imunoregulação, Centro de Pesquisas Gonçalo Moniz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ) , Salvador , Brazil.
authors.forename: Daniel Ferreira
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Feijó
keywords: Leishmania donovani; host protective responses; immune evasive mechanisms; leishmaniasis; treatment