Friday, 17 January 2014

Mechanics behind spread of deadly leishmaniasis disease revealed

A new study has provided important information about transmission of human leishmaniasis, which is a group of infectious diseases that kills more than 100,000 people a year.

Professor Deborah Smith of the Centre for Immunology and Infection at University of York, working with colleagues at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and Charles University in Prague, has shown that Leishmania parasites reproduce sexually in the wild.

The research is a significant step forward in understanding how leishmaniasis is spread in endemic regions.
Caused by Leishmania parasites, human leishmaniasis is a serious public health problem in more than 90 countries worldwide.

There are high fatality rates among children and young people and those with suppressed immune systems. Pharmaceutical treatments are limited and there is no vaccine.

These microscopic organisms infect humans through the bite of a female blood-feeding sand fly carrying infective parasites in its gut. Read more..



From DNA News

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