Infections of the Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 continue to spread around the globe, causing Coronavirus Disease (COVID)-19. Infected people are at risk of developing acute interstitial pneumonia, which can result in lethal complications, particularly in patients with pre-existing co-morbidities. Novel prophylactic and therapeutic interventions are urgently needed to limit the infection-associated health risk for the population and to contain the pandemic. Animal models are indispensable to assessing the efficacy and safety of potential new antivirals, vaccines, and other innovative therapies, such as nucleic acid agonists of innate immune sensing receptors. In this review, we provide an overview of the commonly used animal models to study SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19, including a summary of their susceptibility to infection, the spectrum of symptoms elicited, and the potential for drug development in each model. We hope that this review will help researchers to decide on the right model organism to quickly address their specific scientific questions.

冠状病毒 SARS-CoV-2 的感染继续在全球范围内传播，导致冠状病毒病 (COVID)-19。感染者有患急性间质性肺炎的风险，这可能导致致命的并发症，特别是对于已有合并症的患者。迫切需要新的预防和治疗干预措施来限制人群与感染相关的健康风险并遏制大流行。动物模型对于评估潜在的新型抗病毒药物、疫苗和其他创新疗法（例如先天免疫感应受体的核酸激动剂）的功效和安全性是必不可少的。在这篇综述中，我们概述了研究 SARS-CoV-2 和 COVID-19 的常用动物模型，包括它们对感染的易感性、引起的症状范围以及每种模型的药物开发潜力的总结。我们希望这篇综述将帮助研究人员决定正确的模式生物，以快速解决他们的具体科学问题。