Researchers seeking to make a vaccine against a serious parasitic infection have discovered a dose of fly saliva might be just what the doctor ordered. Leishmaniasis, a disabling and sometimes deadly tropical illness, is caused by a parasite transmitted to people through the bite of a sand fly. In a report released today, scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) describe how a vaccine they developed against a component of sand fly saliva prevents leishmaniasis in mice.
