Leishmania infection

The uptake of Leishmania promastigotes by host cells is a receptor mediated process that initiates phagocytosis. Some parasites differentiate and survive within the macrophage phagolysosomes; others are killed by the acidic and higher temperature environment. In the end, it is the balance between the host and parasitic factors that control the activation/deactivation of macrophages that determines the fate of the parasites as well as the infection outcome.

The pathways curated here summarize the major steps of parasite internalization by the macrophage, the defence mechanisms that are turned on and the mechanisms of evasion of the parasite to counteract them.