What determines the success or failure of intracellular cutaneous parasites? Lessons learned from leishmaniasis

Most parasitic skin infections are averted by very efficient strategies of preventing pathogen invasion. Innate immune cells such as mast cells, macrophages and dendritic cells are responsible for detecting parasites and for recruiting proinflammatory cells that help to contain and control the pathogen at sites of infection. This induces efficient adaptive immunity, which is crucially important for parasite control. Using the example of cutaneous leishmaniasis, we highlight how the skin utilizes different strategies to prevent skin infection and how containment of the infection to the skin site may reduce the harm that otherwise may result for the entire organism.