Making an anti-amastigote vaccine for visceral leishmaniasis: rational, update and perspectives

► Main correlates of immune responses and protective immunity in visceral leishmaniasis are summarized. ► The rational for development of a vaccine targeting the intracellular stage of Leishmania parasites is discussed. ► Presents the main advances towards development of anti-amastigote A2 antigen based vaccines for visceral leishmaniasis. ► Reports on the efforts to identify by immuproteomics new amastigote antigens for vaccine development.