Niewiesk has been a leader in developing the cotton rat as an animal model for infectious diseases.
From the sciencedaily.com
This is where the cotton rat comes into play.
From the dispatch.com
Much of what we understand about RSV pathogenesis, and the role of host responses in RSV pathology, comes from mouse and cotton rat infection models.
From the nature.com
It is probably able to forage underwater, which may help differentiate its niche from that of the ecologically similar cotton rat Sigmodon hirsutus, which also swims well, but does not dive.