Immunopathology and the regulation of immune responses during Leishmania donovani infection

单细胞寄生虫，称为利什曼原虫，可以通过叮咬白蛉传播给人类，并引起一系列统称为利什曼病的疾病。利什曼病在88个国家被发现，在任何时候都有大约1500万人感染。一种影响内脏器官的疾病（内脏利什曼病）每年造成约10万人死亡，主要是儿童。内脏利什曼病主要发生在印度，孟加拉国，尼泊尔，苏丹和巴西，但它也发生在地中海沿岸的许多国家。艾滋病毒的传播使内脏利什曼病成为一种日益重要的感染。内脏利什曼病也是一种严重的狗疾病，仅在欧洲就有2- 300万只狗感染。受感染的狗有助于维持疾病对人类的传播。为了了解为什么人们会死于这种感染，并帮助开发新的疫苗和药物供人类和兽医使用，有必要更多地了解感染如何攻击我们的器官并破坏通常保护我们免受感染的免疫反应。通过在实验模型中研究疾病的性质以及它如何影响免疫力，我们将能够提出新的治疗方法，并有助于有效的疫苗设计。除了在同行评审的公共获取期刊上发表外，这项研究的结果还将通过外联活动和积极的公共关系进行传播，通过地方和国家媒体传播重要突破的新闻。

Single celled parasites, called Leishmania, can be transmitted to humans by biting sand flies and cause a spectrum of diseases collectively known as leishmaniasis. Leishmaniasis is found in 88 countries and some 15M people are infected at any given time. One form of the disease, in which internal organs are affected (visceral leishmaniasis), accounts for approx 100,000 deaths annually, mainly in children. Visceral leishmaniasis occurs predominantly in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, The Sudan and Brazil, but it also occurs in many countries bordering the Mediterranean. The spread of HIV makes visceral leishmaniasis an increasingly important infection. Visceral leishmaniasis is also a severe disease of dogs, with 2-3M dogs infected in Europe alone. Infected dogs help maintain transmission of the disease to man. To understand why people die from this infection, and to help develop new vaccines and drugs for human and veterinary use, it is essential to understand more about how the infection attacks our organs and undermines the immune responses that normally protect us from infection. By studying the nature of the disease in experimental models and how it affects immunity, we shall be able to suggest novel approaches to treatment and aid in effective vaccine design. In addition to publication in peer-reviewed public access journals, the results from this study will be communicated via Outreach activities and by active public relations to disseminate news of important breakthroughs via the local and national press.