Visceral leishmaniasis is often fatal, yet current drugs are very toxic and incur resistance. Because Leishmania spp. require exogenous haem for growth, Guha et al. investigated whether haem acquisition could be a potential target. They found that the haemoglobin receptor (HbR) was conserved across several strains of Leishmania, and a HbR-specific antibody was detected in patients with visceral leishmaniasis. Immunization of mice and hamsters with HbR DNA completely protected against virulent Leishmania donovani infection and stimulated the production of protective cytokines as well as CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, which suggests that HbR is a target for vaccine development.