Review of Molecular Approaches in Leishmaniasis Vaccines: Implications and Restrictions

Abstract

Leishmaniasis, a cosmopolitan parasitic infection, is a sandfly-borne parasitic disease caused by different species of Leishmania. Many attempts have been made to discover effective and safe vaccines against leishmaniasis, but most of them are not accompanied by promising results. During the last decade, the characterization of new antigens for potential vaccine candidates based on classical and molecular protocols has been a hot research topic in immunological science. The present review focuses on the development and the status of various vaccines and potential vaccine candidates against leishmaniasis. Here, molecular approaches to leishmaniasis vaccine development are described. Also, implications and restrictions are discussed.