As mentioned above, leishmaniasis is caused by at least 18 species of parasites with diverse relationships with the host and mechanisms of pathogenesis [3, 4] . Early studies of cross-protection between Leishmania species clearly showed that it is a complex problem, with infection by one species protecting or not from subsequent infection by another species, depending on the species and the order of infections. Most vaccine studies have thus been focusing on homologous protection, although a single vaccine able to protect against all pathogenic species would be ideal.