Early CD44hiCD4 and CD44hiCD8 T cell numbers and the absence of mannose-rich glycoconjugates determine the protective outcome of anti-leishmanial immunity

Abstract

Vaccination remains the best hope for control of all forms of leishmaniasis, and the development of a safe and effective vaccine is a critical global public-health priority. Our previous work showed that immunization with non-persistent phosphomannomutase-deficient (ΔPMM) Leishmania major parasites confers significant protection in susceptible BALB/c mice due to increased T-cell numbers and suppression of IL-10 and IL-13 early during infection. Here, we complemented the ΔPMM L. major parasites with human PMM2 to determine whether we could further improve the protection. Complemented ΔPMM parasites have restored glycoconjugate biosynthesis, while retaining avirulence of the parental knockout ..