Abstract
Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) caused by Leishmania donovani , a protozoan parasite, is a disease of high morbidity associated with hepatosplenomegaly, hypergammaglobulinemia, fever and death. One of the immunological hallmarks of VL is a remarkable increase in serum immunoglobulin levels as a result of polyclonal B cell activation. This study demonstrated that T lymphocytes expressing the T cell receptors (TcR) gamma delta in association with CD3 molecules are increased in circulation of patients with VL. The observations may help to explain that TcR gamma delta T cells might be functional in vivo and are involved in immunological mechanisms of pathogenesis in VL.