Schwann cells as putative safe host cells for Leishmania amazonensis

摘要

A hallmark of Leishmania infection is the invasion of tissue macrophages by the parasite as an essential step for the establishment of parasitism. In fact, macrophages are considered the most important host cell for Leishmania parasites,1 although several other cell types are able to endocytose Leishmania in vitro or in vivo.2–4 Previous data published by our and other groups support the notion that Schwann cells (SCs) act as a putative host cell for Leishmania infection.5,6 In this context, we hypothesized that SCs, abundant in highly innervated skin, might form a less hostile environment for Leishmania than macrophages and, thus, enable the persistence of the parasite.