Martin Röllinghoff has made himself well known by many important contributions to immunology. His early studies in Mainz were in the field of complement, in Melbourne he analysed the effect of T-lymphocytes in response to tumors. Back in Mainz, he studied the biological role of cytokines and characterized in depth together with Herrmann Wagner, today München, a cytokine now designated Interleukin 2. At the Institut für klinische Mikrobiologie in Erlangen which he led for 23 years and developed to an institution of international recognition he turned to immunology to microbes. Together with his coworkers he obtained many new and basic informations in relation to the immune response to yersinia, mycobacteria tuberculosis, candida and in particular to leishmania. He studied the immune response to leishmania in a mouse model which allowed decisive experiments concerning the cause of the different courses of the benigne cutaneuos leishmaniasis (oriental sore) and the fatale visceral leishmaniasis (kala-azar) as well as to the persitence of the parasite.