Latest Leishmania Stories

A team of international scientists has sequenced the genomes of three species of parasites responsible for causing diseases that kill or cripple millions, primarily in tropical and sub-tropical countries. Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) scientists who participated in the project say the sequencing of the genomes of the parasitic protozoa that cause Chagas disease, African sleeping sickness, and leishmaniasis, could significantly impact world health. Some of the genes discovered may...

An international consortium of scientists has unraveled the genomes of three deadly parasites, and these genome sequences will be published in the July 15, 2005, edition of the premier research journal Science. The sequences of these related parasites "“ which cause African sleeping sickness, Chagas disease and leishmaniasis "“ provide a foundation for developing much-needed new drugs to combat these infectious diseases that affect millions of people around the world. Seattle Biomedical...

Scientists have sequenced and compared the genomes of three of the parasites responsible for sleeping sickness, Chagas disease and leishmaniasis, three devastating diseases of the developing world. These parasites collectively cause disease and death in millions of humans each year, and the new genome sequences provide critical information for drug and vaccine developers, according to new research appearing in the 15 July 2005 issue of the journal Science, published by AAAS, the nonprofit...

By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Three parasites that sicken or kill millions of people in the developing world every year have been genetically sequenced and are giving up clues that could be used to fight them, scientists said on Thursday. The international team said they had mapped out the genomes of the parasites that cause African sleeping sickness, Chagas disease and leishmaniasis, which kill 150,000 people a year and cripple many more. They found...

WASHINGTON -- Scientists have mapped the genes of a trio of parasites that sicken and kill millions in poor countries and found they share a surprising amount of DNA, even though they cause markedly different illnesses and are spread by different insects. The research opens the possibility of finding drugs that would fight all three ancient scourges: African sleeping sickness, Chagas disease and leishmaniasis. Already, scientists have begun using the gene maps to identify possible vaccine...