Experiences with vaccines against cutaneous leishmaniasis: of men and mice

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Abstract
Summary: The need for a vaccine(s) against cutaneous leishmaniasis and the populations at risk for whom such vaccines should be developed are briefly discussed. The current human vaccine studies are reviewed, as are some experimental mouse studies with emphasis onLeishmania majorinfection relevant to vaccine development. Based on the information available from the mouse model and those data which are being sought in human studies, the benign nature of the cutaneous disease, the ease with whichL. majorcan be manipulated to yield the required material, and the ongoing practice of leishmanization which allows rapid evaluation of candidate vaccine(s), it is suggested that a vaccine, at least againstL. major, is imminent in the not too distant future.