This image shows THP-1 human macrophage cells (cytoplasm stained red) infected with Leishmania donovani (yellow), the most deadly Leishmania species and causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis. In this disease cellular model, macrophages are incubated with metacyclic promastigotes, which are phagocytosed by the macrophage and differentiate into replicative amastigotes. There are also promastigotes and intermediate forms of the parasite in the macrophage. Parasite and host cell DNA is stained blue. This study is the first to employ a whole-cell-based model of visceral leishmaniasis to screen for drugs affecting the parasite's viability inside the human macrophage (see Siqueira-Neto et al., doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0000675).

Image Credit: Jair L. Siqueira-Neto

This image shows THP-1 human macrophage cells (cytoplasm stained red) infected with Leishmania donovani (yellow), the most deadly Leishmania species and causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis. In this disease cellular model, macrophages are incubated with metacyclic promastigotes, which are phagocytosed by the macrophage and differentiate into replicative amastigotes. There are also promastigotes and intermediate forms of the parasite in the macrophage. Parasite and host cell DNA is stained blue. This study is the first to employ a whole-cell-based model of visceral leishmaniasis to screen for drugs affecting the parasite's viability inside the human macrophage (see Siqueira-Neto et al., doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0000675).

Image Credit: Jair L. Siqueira-Neto

https://doi.org/10.1371/image.pntd.v04.i05.g001