Leishmania (World Class Parasites, 4)

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Summary: Review by Kinetoplastid Biology and Disease
Review: This book is a useful reference for researchers, especially for updated information presented in table form for Leishmania spp. (pp. 3 and 14-6), sand fly vectors (pp. 34-5) and regimens of chemotherapy (pp. 135-6). Authors were well-chosen to introduce the topics of their own research presented in 11 chapters (~15 pages each). Most chapters are, by necessity, focused largely on the authors' own work or views due apparently to page limitation. This is adequate and even desirable for frequently reviewed subjects, such as sand fly biology by Killick-Kendrick; or a relatively specific or new topic, which is naturally so or made so by the authors' skills, such as membrane transport by Landfear and Leishmania infection on macrophage function by Matlashewski. These chapters are thus probably most friendly to the general reader. The same can be said to a greater or lesser extent for chapters on macrophage receptors for Leishmania by Mosser and Brittingham, chemotherapy of leishmanasis by Zilberstein and Ephros, and Leishmania-sand fly interactions by Kamhawi. The space allocated is clearly insufficient to account for all necessary details, diversities and unknowns in the epidemiology of human and canine leishmaniasis, as presented by Dedet, Shaw and Campino as well as for the complexities and uncertainties in the immunobiology of leishmaniasis by Kaye, Farrell and Campos-Neto. These chapters will undoubtedly be appreciated by the specialists, but may not be by general readers who have little or no prior exposure to the caveat or nuance of Leishmania epidemiology and immunology. An exception to this may be the chapter by Campos-Neto on vaccines, since this is an area of great interest, and since some data from work in progress were presented. The book would be improved with the addition of another chapter or two on cell and molecular biology of Leishmania to discuss, for example, some exciting discoveries and development, e. g. unique cell organelles (e. g. tubular lysosomes, acidocalcisomes), glycobiology, gene expression, genome project, molecular genetics, kinetoplast RNA editing. Some of these topics are trypanosomatid-, but not necessarily Leishmania-specific. Still, our knowledge of how parasites and hosts work at cellular and molecular levels is crucial in our attempt to understand their interactions that makes leishmaniasis so unique in all aspects from epidemiology to immunobiology. There is high hope to render these biological phenotypes less descriptive and more clearly defined by genomic, proteomic, glyconomic, metabolomic and other bioinformatic approaches.

There are several non-scientific distractions. There appears to be no copy-editing work, resulting in too many incomplete literature citations (four in pp. 147-50), and many typographic errors in the text, including two in the Preface. The Index is too brief and chapters are illustrated with very few diagrams and no photographs. These deficiencies are possibly due to a desire for rapid publication to keep chapters current and/or to cost-cutting measures established by the publisher.

Nevertheless, many readers will find interesting thoughts and insights from their own perspectives in many chapters of this book, including this reviewer with decades of exposure to Leishmania and leishmaniasis. I find Shaw's historical view on this disease in the Amazon region interesting, as described in his chapter on South American leishmaniasis. His writing on the separation of subgenous Leihsmania and Viannia clarifies some confusion of our own experimental data. It is also interesting that PKDL is thought to result from the targeting of effector function against parasites in the skin of patients recovering from VL after chemotherapy, as stated by Kaye citing the work of Theander's group. These are just several examples of my own deficiencies rectified by reading this book. Other readers will find specific points of interest according to their own backgrounds and knowledge.

The editor and serial editors deserve our appreciation and congratulations for their successful endeavour by putting this volume together for publication. There has been no hard cover book devoted to Leishmania since the late 1980's. This book may well be the last one of this kind, since in this era of information highway, the next book on Leishmania and leishmaniasis is likely to be electronically digitized for sale in the website. I will make sure to keep my copy around and urge you all to rush order a copy before it is sold.
Kwang-Poo Chng, Kinetoplastid Biology and Disease 2003, 2:9

Rating:
Summary: Review by Kinetoplastid Biology and Disease
Review: This volume provides an overdue, well-needed and succinct update on the clinical, epidemiological, ecological and basic science aspects (immunology, pathophysiology, drug resistance and metabolism) of leishmaniasis by experts in the field. Leishmaniasis is widely distributed throughout the world; the disease threatens 350 million people in 88 countries world-wide. However, not since the Chang and Bray and/or Killick-Kendrick and Peters volumes published approximately 25 years ago has there been a monograph published providing a current and complete overview of the field. This has been to the detriment of those who teach parasitology or to anyone entering this field. Comprehensive reviews suitable as readings for advanced undergraduate or graduate students are rare. Further, most reviews are highly focused and specialized to the exclusion of providing a general biological overview. In a quickly evolving field, such as leishmaniasis, this is understandable; however, it is to the credit of Dr. Farrell (who edited this volume) that this deficiency has been filled. Each chapter is succinct, yet covers an important aspect of the biology, ecology. epidemiology or clinical disease; references provided are particularly useful.

Leishmaniasis is a spectrum of diseases ranging from the cutaneous, to visceral; the diverse clinical forms of disease are caused by multiple species, with different reservoir hosts and insect vectors. Hence, there is considerable complexity in the biology to be understood, as indicated by the first four chapters by Drs. Dedet, Shaw, Killick-Kendrick and Campino. The first four chapters provide an overview of the epidemiology of this spectrum of diseases and include reviews of the ecology of New World leishmaniasis, biology of phlebotomine sand flies (insect vector), and epidemiology of visceral leishmaniasis. The next chapters focus on topics devoted to understanding the biology of the host-parasite and vector-parasite interactions. The chapter by Dr. Kamhawi on the Leishmania parasites within the digestive tract of phlebotomine sand flies summarizes important aspects relevant to parasite transmission, namely, the relationship of LPG to parasite vector-midgut association as well as the effect of salivary components on the transmission of disease. The interactions of the parasite with the macrophage are covered in the next two chapters. The immunological consequences of receptor-ligand interactions (CR3, FcR, CR1) utilized in parasite uptake in terms of the establishment and maintenance of infection are presented (Drs. Mosser and Brittingham). This section discusses the differences between the promastigotes (seen only in the initiation of infection) and amastigote (found during chronic infection in the mammalian host) developmental stages in these processes. The effect of infection on the function of macrophages is relevant to immunology (as macrophages are important antigen-presenting cells). The parasite clearly causes impairment in the signal transduction pathways utilized for macrophage activation by various cytokines and chemokines; hence, these signal transduction pathways may represent potential chemotherapeutic targets. This topic is discussed in the chapter by Dr. Matlashewski. The chapter by Drs. Zilberstein and Ephros covers chemotherapy, and reviews existing therapies, and discusses what is currently known about the mode of drug action and mechanisms of drug resistance. The last three chapters (Drs. Kaye, Farrell, and Campos-Neto) are focused on what is known concerning the immune response to leishmanial infection - our understanding of the mechanisms of pathogenesis as well as recent progress towards the development of vaccine against cutaneous leishmaniasis. Concise, these provide a thoughtful overview of what has been determined about immune mechanisms that control infection. The chapter on cutaneous leishmaniasis is appropriately focused on Leishmania major, which has been the mainstay of immunological studies. However, given the distinctions found for New World Leishmania (L. mexicana complex) from L. major, additional information concerning this aspect would have provided a more complete picture of the diversity of pathogenesis. The fact that we need to know more about the human immune response to infection is underscored in these chapters and the important advances made in the past decade concerning the immunological features of visceral and cutaneous diseases are clearly presented. In short, "World Class Parasites: LEISHMANIA" provides a long overdue concise, yet comprehensive current overview of the leishmaniases - what has been learnt over the past 25 years - and what remains to be understood about this interesting genus of parasitic protozoans!
Diane McMahon-Pratt, Kinetoplastid Biology and Disease 2003, 2:9