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Hope for a cure for visceral leishmaniasis, an often fatal infectious disease - EurekAlert

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Leishmaniasis is a tropical disease affecting a growing number of people worldwide. Each year, between 700,000 and 1&nbsp;million new cases are reported. Caused by a protozoan parasite of the genus<em> Leishmania</em>, which is transmitted to humans by the simple bite of a sand fly, leishmaniasis comprises three clinical forms, of which the visceral form is the most serious. If left untreated, visceral leishmaniasis, also known as black fever, is almost always fatal. Most cases occur in Bangladesh, Brazil, Ethiopia, India, Nepal, and Sudan.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Professor Simona St&auml;ger of the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) and her team, in collaboration with other researchers from INRS and McGill University, have observed a surprising immune mechanism linked to chronic visceral leishmaniasis. This discovery could be an important step towards a new therapeutic approach to this disease. The results of their research have been published in the journal <em>Cell Reports</em>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->

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