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Epidemiology of bat rabies in Germany

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Summary.

Rabies in European bats was first reported in Germany in 1954. In concordance with Denmark and the Netherlands, Germany has reported one of the highest numbers (n = 187) of European bat lyssavirus (EBLV)-positive cases in bats in Europe so far (1954–2005). A combined descriptive epidemiological and phylogenetic analysis on bat rabies and prevailing EBLVs is presented, comprising the past 50 years. So far, only the two lineages of EBLV-1 (genotype 5), a and b, have been detected. Although only 50% of the rabies-positive bats have been identified by species, the Serotine bat (Eptesicus serotinus) is the bat species most frequently infected. Single rabies cases have also been detected in a further five indigenous bat species. There is proven evidence for a substantial bias in the frequency of bat rabies cases in the north of Germany, with an endemic cluster in the northwesternmost low-lying plain areas adjacent to the Netherlands and Denmark. Improvements to bat rabies surveillance and research are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Epidemiology, WHO Collaborating Centre for Rabies Surveillance and Research, OIE Reference Laboratory for Rabies, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute – Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Wusterhausen, Germany

    T. Müller, C. M. Freuling & T. Selhorst

  2. Rabies and Wildlife Zoonoses Group, WHO Collaborating Centre for the Characterization of Rabies and Rabies-Related Viruses, Veterinary Laboratories Agency Weybridge, UK

    N. Johnson & A. R. Fooks

  3. Impfstoffwerk Dessau – Tornau GmbH, Rosslau, Germany

    A. Vos

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  1. T. Müller
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  2. N. Johnson
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  3. C. M. Freuling
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  4. A. R. Fooks
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  5. T. Selhorst
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  6. A. Vos
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Müller, T., Johnson, N., Freuling, C. et al. Epidemiology of bat rabies in Germany. Arch Virol 152, 273–288 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00705-006-0853-5

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