The Silent Threat: Unraveling the Impact of Rabies in Herbivores in Brazil.
Authors: Ventura Marcelo Cardoso da Silva, Neves Jéssica Milena Moura, Pinheiro Randyson da Silva, Santos Marcos Vinicius Costa, de Lemos Elba Regina Sampaio, Horta Marco Aurelio Pereira
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Herbivore Rabies in Brazil — Why Your Vaccination Protocol Matters Rabies remains a persistent and economically damaging zoonotic threat across Brazilian livestock, particularly in cattle, horses, and goats, where transmission occurs primarily through infected hematophagous bats. This 2024 review synthesises the epidemiology of herbivore rabies in Brazil, examining transmission routes, current control strategies (principally systematic vaccination campaigns, surveillance systems, and public awareness initiatives), and the multilayered economic burden extending from direct livestock losses and trade restrictions to government expenditure on control measures. Despite considerable investment in vaccination and surveillance infrastructure, the disease continues to circulate, indicating that current control efforts remain insufficient to achieve elimination. The authors emphasise that integrated, sustained approaches combining robust vaccination coverage, enhanced surveillance capacity, and coordinated public health messaging are essential to break transmission cycles—particularly given the involvement of wildlife reservoirs. For equine professionals, this underscores the critical importance of maintaining vaccination schedules, recognising clinical signs in at-risk populations, and supporting herd-level biosecurity measures alongside individual animal protection, as rabies control in horses directly impacts both livestock sustainability and human public health outcomes.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Ensure systematic rabies vaccination of horses and other herbivores on your property; vaccination is the primary effective control method available
- •Be aware that rabies transmission occurs primarily through bat exposure, so implement biosecurity measures to minimize herbivore contact with bats
- •Understand that rabies control efforts carry real costs, but investment in vaccination protects livestock value, prevents trade restrictions, and reduces public health risks
Key Findings
- •Rabies in herbivores (cattle, horses, goats) in Brazil is primarily transmitted by hematophagous bats and remains a persistent public health and livestock industry concern
- •Systematic vaccination is the primary and most effective method for controlling herbivore rabies
- •Rabies control imposes significant economic burden through livestock industry losses, trade restrictions, and government/farmer expenditures on control measures
- •Integrated approaches combining vaccination campaigns, surveillance systems, and public awareness are necessary to mitigate rabies impact and ensure livestock industry sustainability