Patent ID: 7238347

Claim:
A method for vaccinating a vertebrate subject against leishmaniasis, the method comprising: providing a live mutant Leishmania having been modified to have δ-aminolevulinate dehydratase (ALAD) activity and porphobilinogen deaminase (PBGD) activity and further having a phenotype of: (a) δ-aminolevulinate synthase-negative; and (b) negative for at least one heme biosynthetic pathway enzymes selected from the group consisting of uroporphyrinogen cosynthase, uroporphyrinogen decarboxylase, coproporhyrinogen oxidase, protopophyrinogen oxidase and ferrochelatase; exposing the live mutant Leishmania to δ-aminolevulinate to produce a porphyric Leishmania without lysing the Leishmania either before or after administering the Leishmania to the vertebrate subject; administering the live mutant Leishmania to the vertebrate subject; exposing the Leishmania to white or red light to lyse the porphyric Leishmania to release antigens from the Leishmania to initiate an immune response by the subject.