Rabies in a dog commercially imported into Germany from Russia, 2026

Eurosurveillance 2026 Open access

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Authors: Conrad M. Freuling, Lisa Rogoll, Sten Calvelage, Dirk Höper, Dmitry Ushakov, Laura Rzepa, Laura Schmid, Stefan Finke, Irene Klingelhöfer, Gudrun Larres, Christin Krüger, Dirk Steinhauer
+4 more Silvia Eisch-Wolf, Martin Dehler, Carola Sauter-Louis, thomas mueller
DOI: 10.2807/1560-7917.es.2026.31.19.2600372
Cited by: 1
References: 9

Abstract

Although rabies has been eliminated from most European Union countries, the risk of reintroduction persists through the movement of infected animals, particularly via non-compliant imports. We describe a case of rabies in a dog imported commercially from Russia to Germany in 2025. The infection was confirmed in February 2026, with phylogenetic analysis linking the virus to the Cosmopolitan lineage (cluster C1b). Investigations revealed documentation inconsistencies, including suspected falsified vaccination records, highlighting the need for strengthened import controls.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Rabies epidemiology and control Human-Animal Interaction Studies Zoonotic diseases and public health

Publication details

Journal / source
Eurosurveillance
Publisher
European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC)
Volume
31
Issue
19
Publication date
14 May 2026
Language
EN