The COVID-19 pandemic, which was caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has become a worldwide health crisis due to its transmissibility. SARS-CoV-2 infection results in severe respiratory illness and can lead to significant complications in affected individuals. These complications encompass symptoms such as coughing, respiratory distress, fever, infectious shock, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and even multiple-organ failure. Animal models serve as crucial tools for investigating pathogenic mechanisms, immune responses, immune escape mechanisms, antiviral drug development, and vaccines against SARS-CoV-2. Currently, various animal models for SARS-CoV-2 infection, such as nonhuman primates (NHPs), ferrets, hamsters, and many different mouse models, have been developed. Each model possesses distinctive features and applications. In this review, we elucidate the immune response elicited by SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients and provide an overview of the characteristics of various animal models mainly used for SARS-CoV-2 infection, as well as the corresponding immune responses and applications of these models. A comparative analysis of transcriptomic alterations in the lungs from different animal models revealed that the K18-hACE2 and mouse-adapted virus mouse models exhibited the highest similarity with the deceased COVID-19 patients. Finally, we highlighted the current gaps in related research between animal model studies and clinical investigations, underscoring lingering scientific questions that demand further clarification.

由严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒 2 (SARS-CoV-2) 引起的 COVID-19 大流行由于其传播性已成为全球性的健康危机。SARS-CoV-2 感染会导致严重的呼吸道疾病，并可能导致受影响个体出现严重的并发症。这些并发症包括咳嗽、呼吸窘迫、发烧、感染性休克、急性呼吸窘迫综合征 (ARDS) 甚至多器官衰竭等症状。动物模型是研究致病机制、免疫反应、免疫逃逸机制、抗病毒药物开发和 SARS-CoV-2 疫苗的重要工具。目前，已经开发了多种 SARS-CoV-2 感染动物模型，例如非人灵长类动物 (NHP)、雪貂、仓鼠和许多不同的小鼠模型。每个模型都具有独特的特征和应用。在这篇综述中，我们阐明了SARS-CoV-2感染在患者体内引起的免疫反应，并概述了主要用于SARS-CoV-2感染的各种动物模型的特征，以及相应的免疫反应和应用这些模型。对不同动物模型肺部转录组变化的比较分析表明，K18-hACE2 和小鼠适应病毒小鼠模型与已故的 COVID-19 患者表现出最高的相似性。最后，我们强调了目前动物模型研究和临床研究之间相关研究的差距，强调了需要进一步澄清的挥之不去的科学问题。