Indian scientists unveiled the mechanism by which the Leishmania parasite that causes Kala-Azar or black fever. It spreads throughout the body by exploiting SUMOylation, a crucial regulator of numerous cellular, nuclear, metabolic, metabolic, and immune-related processes.

More than 90% of all new kala-azar cases reported to the WHO in 2020 were found in nations including Brazil, China, Ethiopia, Eritrea, India, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Yemen. Symptoms include anaemia, weight loss, spleen, and liver enlargement, as well as erratic, multi-day fever episodes.

Kala-Azar or black fever, also called Visceral Leishmaniasis, is transmitted through bites of sandflies, which carry the parasite "Leishmania donovani" in their hair. The parasite can replicate intracellularly within the macrophages that ordinarily engage in host defence against infections. The researchers found that Leishmania parasites alter the host′s signalling systems to inhibit the host′s defence mechanisms.

The study revealed that the SUMOylation pathway plays a vital role in modulating protective immune responses, favouring parasite survival. According to the researchers, resistance to the existing antileishmanial drugs was a concern. Findings from the current study can thus serve as a new insight for developing novel therapeutic interventions to treat leishmaniasis. The study has been published in Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology. (MSN.com, 30 August 2022)

https://www.msn.com/en-in/health/health-news/indian-scientists-find-how-black-fever-causing-parasite-spreads/ar-AA11gvya?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=ec9e63f83ea202793fd7d403e93eb606