RATIONALE

The parasites of the genus Leishmania (Trypanosomatida: Trypanosomatidae) include over 50 species, of which around 20 can cause neglected tropical diseases worldwide. Leishmaniases affect many animal species, including humans and are characterized by a wide spectrum of clinical presentations, according to the host immune response. In the last decades, these parasites are also spreading in non-endemic areas of central Europe, along with their Phlebotominae sand flies vector, thus raising the Public Health interest of this vector-borne disease.
In this Symposium we will discuss the main features of Leishmania spp., new epidemiological scenarios, and advancement in scientific knowledge about the biology in the vectors and in the reptilian/mammalian hosts.
Strategies for the control of leishmaniases will be also discussed focussing on the host-vector-pathogen interplay providing perspectives in the field of vaccinology, such as in the case of Leishmania tarentolae.