The immunomicrotope of Leishmania control and persistence.

Leishmania is an intracellular protozoan transmitted by sand fly vectors; it causes cutaneous, mucocutaneous, or visceral disease. Its growth and survival are impeded by type 1 T helper cell responses, which entail interferon (IFN)-γ-mediated macrophage activation. Leishmania partially escapes this host defense by triggering immune cell and cytokine responses that favor parasite replication rather than killing.

Experimental Cutaneous Leishmaniasis: Mouse Models for Resolution of Inflammation Versus Chronicity of Disease.

Experimental cutaneous leishmaniasis of mice is a valuable model to study the immune response to the protozoan pathogen Leishmania and to define mechanisms of parasite control and resolution of inflammation as well as of parasite evasion and chronicity of disease. In addition, over many years Leishmania-infected mice have been successfully used to analyze the function of newly discovered immune cell types, transcription factors, cytokines, and effector mechanisms in vivo. In this chapter we present detailed protocols for the culture, propagation, and inoculation of Leishmania promastigotes, the monitoring of the course of cutaneous infection, the determination of the tissue parasite burden and for the phenotyping of the ensuing immune response.

Resolution of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis and Persistence of in the Absence of Arginase 1.

Arginase (Arg) 1 is expressed by hematopoietic (e.g., macrophages) and nonhematopoietic cells (e.