Cell biology of Leishmania

Leishmania are digenetic protozoa which inhabit two highly specific hosts, the sandfly, where they grow as motile flagellated promastigotes in the gut, and the mammalian macrophage, where they survive and grow intracellularly as non-flagellated amastigotes in the phagolysosome. Leishmaniasis is the outcome of an evolutionary 'arms race' between the host's immune system and the parasite's evasion mechanisms, which ensure survival and transmission in the population. The diverse spectrum of patterns and severity of disease reflect the varying contributions of parasite virulence factors and host responses, some of which act in a host protective manner while others exacerbate disease. This chapter describes the interaction of the Leishmania with their hosts, with emphasis on the molecules and mechanisms evolved by the parasites to avoid, subvert or exploit the environments in the sandfly and the macrophage, and to move from one to the other.