Stage-Specific Adhesion of Leishmania Promastigotes to Sand Fly Midguts Assessed Using an Improved Comparative Binding Assay
2010
Abstract
The results demonstrate that Leishmania gut binding is strictly stage-dependent, is a property of those forms found in the middle phase of development (nectomonad and leptomonad forms), but is absent in the early blood meal and final stages (procyclic and metacyclic forms). Further they show that although gut binding may be necessary for parasite establishment, in several vector-parasite pairs the specificity of such in vitro binding alone is insufficient to explain overall vector specificity.
Other significant barriers to development must exist in certain refractory Leishmania parasite-sand fly vector combinations. A re-appraisal of the specificity of the Leishmania-sand fly relationship is required.