Objective
Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) caused by the protozoan parasites L. donovani and L. infantum (L. chagasi) is a potentially fatal disease with a major impact on health in the developing countries For many years however, a dramatic increase in the number of leishmanial infections in HIV positive patients from endemic areas has been noted along with cases refractory to curren antimonial chemotherapy. As an intact immunological system is necessary for drug therapy to b effective, studies concerning the nature of the interaction between drugs and the immune responsz are of paramount importance. The main objectives of our proposal are 1r) to assess the nature of the immune response occuring during chemotherapy for VL in a murine model, concentrating on interleukines (IL) 6 and 10 witl known macrophage de-activating effects, 2r) to study the pathogenesis of VL in IL-6 deficient mice and 3r) to evaluate the consequences of immune modulation such as cytokine neutralisation (IL-6 and/or IL- 10) for effective chemotherapy.
Fields of science
Call for proposal
Data not availableFunding Scheme
RGI - Research grants (individual fellowships)Coordinator
WC1E 7HT London
United Kingdom