Adam Ranson, left, and Nathan Peters. Credit: Nathan Peters
Researchers at the University of Calgary have discovered the mechanisms behind Leishmaniasis, a disease caused by Leishmania parasites, that affects people in more than 90 countries worldwide. By manipulating mammalian immune cells, the disease is able to go undetected and is highly resistant to treatment.
The study, published in The Journal of Immunology, highlights the disease's ability to act as a “Trojan Horse” once inside the body. The researchers found that the parasite targets mammalian neutrophils, by targeting a receptor on the neutrophil the disease is able to access the cell. Once inside, the disease causes the cell to mimic the behavior of any other dying cell preventing the activation of the body's immune system. By slowing down the cell's death, the disease is able to persist inside the cell long enough to cause infection.
“Understanding the earliest interactions between the parasite and the host helps explain why previous vaccination strategies against Leishmaniasis have been unsuccessful,” says Adam Ranson, first author of the study. “Our findings will contribute to bringing researchers closer to developing an effective vaccine against Leishmania infection.”
The team of researchers has already begun in-vitro testing to confirm that the mechanisms of infection observed in mice also occur in humans. With other pathogens operating in a similar manner to those studied, the researchers believe that this study could lead to groundbreaking new immunotherapy methodologies by targeting the mechanism of infection instead of one specific pathogen.