Leishmania

the long version

Leishmania is a vector-prone pathogenic parasite found in 88 countries worldwide and is the causative agent of leishmaniasis. The different Leishmania species infect macrophages and dendritic cells of the host immune system, causing symptoms that include disfiguring cutaneous and mucocutaneous lesions, widespread destruction of mucous membranes and visceral disease affecting the haemopoietic organs. The recent publication of the comlete gennome sequences of three different Leishmania species provides new insights into this leading pathogen. In this book, experts critically review the most important aspects of Leishmania research. Chapters are written from a molecular and genomic perspective and discuss in depth Leishmania-specific aspects of trypanosomatid biology and pathology. Topics include diagnosis and epidemiology, genome structure and content, regulation of gene expression, the Leishmania proteome, the Leishmania metabolome, Leishmania differentiation, interaction with the sand fly vector, drug discovery, drug resistance, and much more.