<i>Schistosoma</i> and <i>Leishmania</i>: An Untold Story of Coinfection

A remarkable characteristic of infectious diseases classified as Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) is the fact that they are mostly transmitted in tropical and subtropical regions with poor conditions of sanitation and low access to healthcare, which makes transmission areas more likely to overlap....

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Main Authors: Genil Mororó Araújo Camelo, Jeferson Kelvin Alves de Oliveira Silva, Stefan Michael Geiger, Maria Norma Melo, Deborah Aparecida Negrão-Corrêa
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-07-01
Series:Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/8/8/383
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Summary:A remarkable characteristic of infectious diseases classified as Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) is the fact that they are mostly transmitted in tropical and subtropical regions with poor conditions of sanitation and low access to healthcare, which makes transmission areas more likely to overlap. Two of the most important NTDs, schistosomiasis and leishmaniasis, despite being caused by very different etiological agents, have their pathogenesis heavily associated with immune-mediated mechanisms, and <i>Schistosoma</i> spp. and <i>Leishmania</i> spp. have been shown to simultaneously infect humans. Still, the consequences of <i>Schistosoma–Leishmania</i> coinfections remain underexplored. As the inflammatory processes elicited by each one of these parasites can influence the other, several changes have been observed due to this coinfection in naturally infected humans, experimental models, and in vitro cell assays, including modifications in susceptibility to infection, pathogenesis, prognostic, and response to treatment. Herein, we review the current knowledge in <i>Schistosoma–Leishmania</i> coinfections in both human populations and experimental models, with special regard to how schistosomiasis affects tegumentary leishmaniasis, discuss future perspectives, and suggest a few steps to further improve our understanding in this model of parasite–host–parasite interaction.
ISSN:2414-6366