Evidence for determining parasitic factors in addition to host genetics and immune status in the outcome of murine Leishmania infantum visceral leishmaniasis

C.B-17 SCID and congenic BALB/C mice were used to examine Leishmania infant um strain pathogenicity independently of host genetic factors. While parasi te loads were significantly higher in immunodeficient mice than in immunoco mpetent mice, the kinetics of infection during a long-term follow-up were s imilar, suggesting that intrinsic parasitic factors also influence the outc ome oft. infantum infection.