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Review

Nature Reviews Immunology 2, 845–858 (1 November 2002) | doi:10.1038/nri933

The immunology of susceptibility and resistance to Leishmania major in mice

David Sacks & Nancy Noben-Trauth

Established models of T-helper-2-cell dominance in BALB/c mice infected with Leishmania major — involving the early production of interleukin-4 by a small subset of Leishmania-specific CD4+ T cells — have been refined by accumulating evidence that this response is not sufficient and, under some circumstances, not required to promote susceptibility. In addition, more recent studies in L. major-resistant mice have revealed complexities in the mechanisms responsible for acquired immunity, which necessitate the redesign of vaccines against Leishmania and other pathogens that require sustained cell-mediated immune responses.