Antimicrobial peptides for leishmaniasis.

Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease that is endemic to American, African, Asian and southern European countries. More than 350 million individuals in 88 countries are at risk of infection from this neglected tropical disease. No effective vaccinations are available against leishmaniasis, and control of the disease relies entirely on toxic drug treatments, some of which were developed as early as the 1940s. As parasite resistance becomes more prevalent, there is increasing concern that currently used drugs will soon become ineffective treatments. Consequently, an urgent need exists to develop new classes of compounds that are active against drug-resistant strains of Leishmania. This review summarizes research aimed at investigating the potential development of antimicrobial peptide-based antileishmanial agents.