Editorial: Understanding anti-trypanosomatid immune responses: The key to developing protective strategies against them

Abstract

Editorial on the Research TopicUnderstanding anti-trypanosomatid immune responses: The key to developing protective strategies against them Trypanosomatid parasites are kinetoplastid microorganisms, some of which cycle between the gut of insect vectors and the tissues of vertebrate hosts (1). In the vertebrate hosts, these parasites alter the expression of virulence genes and modify biological and antigenic properties in order to counteract the host immune responses and establish a persistent infection (2, 3).The diseases caused by trypanosomatids are among the so-called neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), which affect millions of individuals mostly in low and middle-income countries from tropical and subtropical regions. In addition to their close relationship with poverty, these diseases permanently deform and disable a large number of poor people, who are thus trapped in their poverty situation. Sadly, these diseases are often forgotten by governments and the pharmaceutical industry, due to the lack of political voice of the affected populations and the reduced economic revenue from this lowincome market (4, 5).Although chemotherapy is critically important in reducing the parasite burden, the variable efficacy of the drugs against different clinical stages of the infections, their frequently associated adverse effects, and our poor understanding of drug-resistant parasite phenotypes remain major concerns. To date, there are no licensed human Frontiers in Immunology frontiersin.org 01