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Use of animal models in Leishmania research
Pekařová, Julie ; Vojtková, Barbora (advisor) ; Pacáková, Lenka (referee)
Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by parasitic protozoa of the genus Leishmania, whose life cycle includes a mammalian host and an insect vector, typically of the genus Phlebotomus or Lutzomyia. While the number of vectors is limited, the spectrum of hosts is wide. Therefore, there are also many animal models that can be used for the study of different aspects of leishmaniasis. These include the study of the host's immune response, pathological manifestations of diseases, virulence factors or testing drugs and vaccines. Commonly used animal models are mainly rodents, which make up a large part of reservoir hosts of leishmaniasis. Examples of standard rodent models are the laboratory mouse (Mus musculus) and the golden hamster (Mesocricetus auratus), however, higher models such as non-human primates or dogs are also being used. Animals that are relatively new to leishmaniasis research are wild rodents, which appear to be ideal experimental models for studying the natural dynamics of infections. Key words: animal models, laboratory animals, rodents, Leishmania, leishmaniasis
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