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)