Cytokine gene expression in feline leishmaniasis: why cats might be less clinically affected than dogs
These findings provide unprecedented evidence that feline macrophages activate a Th1-like cytokine pattern following in vitro infection with L. infantum. Overall, the outcomes of this investigation support the hypothesis that, when compared with dogs, the milder clinical course of leishmaniasis in cats is related to a predominant Th1-like immune response, eventually contributing to the infection control in naturally infected animals.
Authors
- Floriana Gernone (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6256-3832)
- Annamaria Uva (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-4375-906X)
- Vanessa R. Barrs (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6761-8022)
- Viviane Noll Louzada-Flores (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5046-5557)
- Natalizia Palazzo
- Jairo Alfonso Mendoza-Roldan
- Domenico Otranto
Institutions
- Institut Pasteur (FR)
- City University of Hong Kong (HK)
- Université Paris Cité (FR)
- University of Pavia (IT)
- University of Bari Aldo Moro (IT)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Parasites & Vectors
- Published
- 2026-02-14
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-026-07285-5
- Primary Topic
- Research on Leishmaniasis Studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00