Ralph Lainson, British parasitologist and protozoologist in Brazil (Upper Beeding, Sussex, England 21 February 1927 - Belém do Pará 05 May 2015)
ACHIEVEMENTS
Authored about 150 papers
Demonstrated the role of wild rodents as reservoirs of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Central and South America
With O. Causey first to show species of Leishmania other than Leishmania braziliensis infecting humans (1963)
Described the first experimental transmission of Leishmania chagasi by the bite of the sandfly Lutzomyia longipalpis
With R. Ward & J.J. Shaw. Experimental transmission of Leishmania chagasi, causative agent of neotropical visceral leishmaniasis, by the sandfly Lutzomyia longipalpis. Nature (London), 266(5603):628-630, 1977
With P. D. Ready. First experimental transmission of a neotropical Leishmania by the bite of a sandfly: identity of the vector. Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 76(1):130-131, 1982
With J.J. Shaw described Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis 1972, the etiologic agent of diffuse cutaneous leishmaniasis
With F.T. Silveira, J.J. Shaw & R.S. Ribeiro. Cutaneous leishmaniasis in Amazonia. Report of the 1st human case of mixed infection, determined by 2 different Leishmania species: Leishmania brasiliensis and Leishmania mexicana amazonensis. Rev Inst Med Trop São Paulo 26(5):272-275, 1984
With A.P. Matos & I. Paperna. An erythrocytic vírus of the Brazilian tree-frog Phrynophryas venulosa. Mem. Inst. Oswaldo Cruz. 90(5):653-5, 1995
Developed new methods
With J.J. Shaw. A simply prepared amastigote leishmanial antigen for use in the indirect fluorescent antibody test for leishmaniasis. J Parasitol 63(2):384-385, 1977
With R. Ward & J.J. Shaw. Some methods for membrane feeding of laboratory reared, neotropical sandflies (Diptera: Psychodidae). Ann Trop Med Parasitol 72(3):269-276, 1978
With M. A. Miles, M.M. Póvoa, A.A.A. Souza & J.J. Shaw. Some methods for the enzymic characterization of Latin-American Leishmania with particular reference to Leishmania mexicana amazonensis and subspecies of Leishmania hertigi. Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 74(2):243-252, 1980
With E.A.Y. Ishikawa & J.J. Shaw. A rapid and sensitive method for the identification of Leishmania with monoclonal antibodies using fluorescein-labelled avidin.. Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 83(6):783-784, 1989
DESCRIBED TAXA (Protozoa)
Family
Garniidae 1971 with Landau & Shaw
Genera & Subgenera
Alloglugea 1995 with Paperna
Cyrillia 1981
Fallisia 1974 with Landau & Shaw
Garnia 1971 with Landau & Shaw
Hemolivia 1990 withPetit, Landau & Baccam
Progarnia 1995
Saurocytozoon 1969 with Shaw
Viannia 1987 with Shaw
Species
Described over 100 new Protozoa species and 4 Diptera species (until 2011)
HONORS
Lainsonia Landau 1973 (Protozoa)