The Biochemical Role of Salivary Apyrase in Sand Flies as a Mechanism for Establishing Leishmania Infection.

ABSTRACT : Leishmaniasis is considered one of the most dangerous parasitic diseases worldwide, as it is easily transmitted from the vector to the host via the sand fly. The insect achieves this by biting a specific site on the skin, thereby releasing microbes and the parasite itself into the dermal layer, which causes the transmission of the infection and the appearance of disease symptoms. This paper focuses on a research gap overlooked by several studies, which is the specific role of the apyrase enzyme. This enzyme is among those released by sand flies into the skin as a pathway to suppress the spontaneous inflammatory immune response, by degrading the triggers of immune activation and platelet aggregation, which are adenosine nucleotides, ATP and ADP.