Immune Responses to Leishmania guyanensis Infection in Humans and Animal Models

Cutaneous Leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania guyanensis parasites is endemic in the North-East South America. There is, however, little information available concerning L. guyanensis infectivity and the immune response associated with different stages of the disease. In the following chapter we discuss the results obtained in human research with regard to the involvement of different types of immune cells and their roles during the development of infection with L. guyanensis parasites. We also provide a resume on the status of animal models of L. guyanensis infection and emphasize how essential these models are so as to increase our knowledge of immunopathogenesis in the host and thus provide an indispensable tool to test new therapeutic strategies.