Leishmania donovani (LD), the causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis (VL), extracts
membrane cholesterol from macrophages and disrupts lipid rafts, leading to their inability to
stimulate T cells. Restoration of membrane cholesterol by liposomal delivery corrects the
above defects and offers protection in infected hamsters. To reinforce further the protective
role of cholesterol in VL, mice were either provided a high-cholesterol (atherogenic) diet or
underwent statin treatment. Subsequent LD infection showed that an atherogenic diet is …