Lassa virus (LASV) is endemic in West Africa, causing an estimated 100 000–300 000 new infections and up to 5000–10 000 deaths yearly. There are no vaccines and therapeutics are extremely limited. Typical case fatality rates are ∼1%, although a recent 2018 Nigerian outbreak featured an unprecedented 25.4% case fatality rate. Survivors of infection suffer a lifetime of sequelae with sudden onset sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) being the most prevalent. The cause of this hearing loss remains unknown, and there is a critical need for further research on its mechanisms and potential therapeutics. The objective of this review is to outline the only currently available small animal model for LASV-induced hearing loss and to identify potential surrogate models.

拉萨病毒（LASV）在西非流行，估计每年造成10万至30万例新感染，并导致多达5000至1万例死亡。没有疫苗，治疗方法极为有限。典型的病死率约为1％，尽管最近的尼日利亚爆发于2018年爆发，病死率空前，为25.4％。感染幸存者终生后遗症，其中最常见的是突然发作的感音神经性听力损失（SNHL）。这种听力损失的原因仍然未知，因此迫切需要对其机制和潜在疗法进行进一步研究。这篇综述的目的是概述LASV引起的听力损失的当前唯一可用的小动物模型，并确定潜在的替代模型。