Structures, targets and recent approaches in anti-leishmanial drug discovery and development

Karin Seifert1

  • 1London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, UK.

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Leishmaniasis is a protozoal disease caused by species of the genus Leishmania and transmitted through the bite of infected female sandflies. The parasite exists in two principal morphological forms during its life cycle. A sandfly acquires intracellular amastigotes from an infected reservoir host, such as a dog. Within the sandfly, these forms differentiate into motile, flagellated promastigotes. During a subsequent blood meal, promastigotes are injected into the human host, where they...
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