The remarkable protection induced by LmSTI1 and TSA in an animal model that is evolutionarily close to humans qualifies this antigen combination as a promising candidate subunit vaccine against human leishmaniasis.
Interestingly, vaccination of mice with TSA DNA consistently induced protection to a much greater extent than LmSTI1 DNA, thus supporting the notion that CD8 responses might be an important accessory arm of the immune response for acquired resistance against leishmaniasis.