ABSTRACT

Approximately 350 million people in 8 countries are estimated to be under the threat of leishmaniasis. Most of the drugs used for the treatment of leishmaniasis are toxic and have many side effects. At present there is no vaccine against leishmaniasis. Vaccine development for parasitic infections is more difficult than for viruses and bacteria because of the antigenic complexity and parasitehost interactions. Anti-leishmanial vaccine candidates are reviewed in this paper.