New iron transporter essential for Leishmania parasite virulence is potential drug target

Leishmaniasis is a serious parasitic disease that affects 12 million people worldwide. Like for many neglected tropical diseases that disproportionately affect poor populations, existing drugs have serious side-effects and face increasing parasite resistance. A study identifies a new drug target, and supports the conclusion that iron-dependent signals generated in the mitochondria are essential for the development of parasite stages that cause disease in humans.