In mammalian hosts, Leishmania parasites are obligatory intracellular organisms that invade
macrophages (Mϕ) and dendritic cells (DC). In Mϕ, the production of nitric oxide (NO)
catalyzed by the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) has been implicated as a major
defense against Leishmania infection. The modulation of this microbicidal mechanism by
different species of Leishmania has been well studied in Mϕ. Although DC are permissive
for infection with Leishmania both in vivo and in vitro, the effect of this parasite in the …