Leishmaniasis (or the leishmaniases), classified as a neglected tropical parasitic disease, is found in parts of the tropics, subtropics and southern Europe. Leishmania parasites are transmitted by the bite of phlebotomine sand flies and million cases of human infection occur annually. Leishmania tarentolae has been historically considered a non-pathogenic protozoan of reptiles, which has been studied mainly for its potential biotechnological applications. However, some strains of L. tarentolae appear to be transiently infective to mammals. In areas where leishmaniasis is endemic, recent molecular diagnostics and serological positivity to L. tarentolae in humans and dogs have spurred interest in the interactions between these mammalian hosts, reptiles and Leishmania infantum, the main aetiologic agent of human and canine leishmaniasis. In this review, we discuss the systematics and biology of L. tarentolae in the insect vectors and the vertebrate hosts and address questions about evolution of reptilian leishmaniae. Furthermore, we discuss the possible usefulness of L. tarentolae for new vaccination strategies.

Biology Centre Institute of Parasitology Czech Academy of Sciences České Budějovice Czech Republic

Department of Biosciences and Pediatric CRC Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi University of Milan Milan Italy

Department of Botany and Zoology Faculty of Science Masaryk University Brno Czech Republic

Department of Parasitology Faculty of Science Charles University Prague Czech Republic

Department of Pathobiology Faculty of Veterinary Science Bu Ali Sina University Hamedan Iran

Department of Veterinary Medicine University of Bari Valenzano Italy

Department of Veterinary Sciences Faculty of Agrobiology Food and Natural Resources Czech University of Life Sciences Prague Czech Republic

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