Alternative to Chemotherapy—The Unmet Demand against Leishmaniasis

Abstract

Leishmaniasis is a neglected protozoan disease that mainly affects the tropical as well as subtropical countries of the world. The primary option to control the disease still relies on chemotherapy. However, a hindrance to treatments owing to the emergence of drug-resistant parasites, enormous side effects of the drugs, their high cost, and requirement of long course hospitalization has added to the existing problems of leishmaniasis containment program. This review highlights the prospects of immunotherapy and/or immunochemotherapy to address the limitations for current treatment measures for leishmaniasis. In addition to the progress in alternate therapeutic strategies, the possibility and advances in developing preventive measures against the disease have been pointed. The review highlights our recent understandings of the protective immunology that can be exploited to develop an effective vaccine against leishmaniasis. Moreover, an update on the approaches that have evolved over the recent years are predominantly focused to overcome the current challenges in developing immunotherapeutic as well as prophylactic antileishmanial vaccines is discussed.

Leishmania tarentolae: Taxonomic classification and its application as a promising biotechnological expression host

“…There are numerous drugs available to treat human leishmaniasis [171]. However, because of the enormous side effects of many drugs combined with their high costs, the requirement of long hospitalization, and the increasing emergence of drug-resistant strains, chemotherapy treatment of leishmaniasis has become a challenging approach [172]. In addition, there is no vaccine available that provides long-term protection and immunity against leishmaniasis [171].…”

In vitro Antileishmanial Activity of Some Ethiopian Medicinal Plants

“…The disease is endemic in 98 countries, most of which are developing countries. 4 According to World Health Organization’s fact sheet on leishmaniasis, approximately 20,000–30,000 deaths and 0.7–1 million new cases of leishmaniasis occur per annum. 1 From the three main forms of the disease, an estimated 50, 000 to 90, 000 new cases of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) and 600, 000 to 1 million new cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) occur worldwide annually.…”

Infection of Human Neutrophils With Leishmania infantum or Leishmania major Strains Triggers Activation and Differential Cytokines Release

“…Maps presenting the global distribution of these diseases and their local risk factors were recently updated; based on such maps computer modeling predicted that 1.7 billion are living in areas at risk for leishmaniases (Pigott et al, 2014). In spite of sustained efforts, no effective human vaccine is yet available (Kumar and Engwerda, 2014; Didwania et al, 2017; Seyed et al, 2018). The mainstay therapy is based on the use of pentavalent antimonials, which present adverse effects and increasingly induce drug resistance (Hefnawy et al, 2017; Ghorbani and Farhoudi, 2018).…”