Calomys callosus : An Experimental Animal Model Applied to Parasitic Diseases Investigations of Public Health Concern

The appearance and spread of parasitic diseases around the world aroused the interest of the scientific community to discover new animal models for improving the quality and specificity of surveys. is a rodent native to South America, an easy handling model, with satisfactory longevity and reproducibility. is susceptible to toxoplasmosis and can be used as experimental model for the study the pathogenesis, treatment, vertical transmission, and ocular toxoplasmosis. can also be used to study cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis, as the animals present cutaneous lesions, as well as parasites in the organs. has epidemiological importance in Chagas disease, and since it is a natural host in which rodents show high parasitemia and lethality, they are also effective as a model of congenital transmission. In the study of schistosomiasis, was proven to be a natural host; thus, this rodent is a great model for fibrosis, hepatic granulomatous reaction, and celloma associated with lymphomyeloid tissue (CALT) during infection. In this review, we summarize the leading studies of parasitic diseases that used as a rodent experimental model, describing the main uses and characteristics that led them to be considered an effective model.