#93 Amelie and the Taming of a Lyssavirus Panic (Germany)

When a Daubenton's bat tested positive for a rabies-related virus at a kindergarten in central Germany, the story moved faster than the facts. Headlines screamed "rabies panic," and Dr. Amelie Lisa Arnecke stepped in to stop good science from being drowned out by panic.

In this episode, the veterinary pathologist and Leipzig University postdoc walks us through how one grounded bat triggered a vaccination campaign, a media storm, and a 500-person public event, and what she's learned about getting risk communication right before the next one. Amelie also shares how that same case is now shaping a student project on human-bat exposure risk, and what it was like turning the tables to host her own podcast on bats and rabies.

Related links

🦇 Bats in Germany

• Research project "Bat Health in Central Germany – From Pathology to Protection" (Leipzig University): Research on bat health, infectious diseases and conservation: https://www.vetmed.uni-leipzig.de/en/institut-fuer-veterinaer-pathologie/forschung/forschungsprojekte/bat-health-in-central-germany
• Deutsche Fledermauswarte (German Bat Observatory): Information on native bats, monitoring and species conservation: https://www.deutsche-fledermauswarte.org/?lang=en
• NABU (Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union): Facts about bats and practical tips on bat conservation: https://www.nabu.de/tiere-und-pflanzen/saeugetiere/fledermaeuse/index.html (German only)

🦠 Rabies

• RKI Guide to Rabies (Robert Koch Institute): Information on transmission routes, diagnostics, prevention and what to do after possible exposure: https://www.rki.de/DE/Aktuelles/Publikationen/RKI-Ratgeber/Ratgeber/Ratgeber_Tollwut.html (German only)
• National Reference Laboratory for Rabies (Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut): Background on rabies diagnostics and lyssaviruses in wildlife: https://www.fli.de/en/institutes/institute-of-molecular-virology-and-cell-biology-imvz/reference-laboratories/woah-who-fao-and-nrl-for-rabies/
• EUROBATS – Bat Rabies Information Leaflet: Information brochure on bat rabies in Europe: https://www.eurobats.org/sites/default/files/documents/publications/leaflet/Bat_rabies_2024-08_WEB_spreads.pdf
• Scientific publications
  • Reinhardt F, Wendt S, Pfeffer M, Freuling C, Müller T, Lübbert C. (2026). Rabies in Europe: Epidemiology, clinical management, and prevention. Dtsch Arztebl Int; 123: 108–114. doi:10.3238/arztebl.m2025.0220.
  • Tarantola A. (2017). Four Thousand Years of Concepts Relating to Rabies in Animals and Humans, Its Prevention and Its Cure. Trop Med Infect Dis. Mar 24;2(2):5. doi:10.3390/tropicalmed2020005.
  • Shipley R, Wright E, Selden D, Wu G, Aegerter J, Fooks AR, Banyard AC. (2019). Bats and Viruses: Emergence of Novel Lyssaviruses and Association of Bats with Viral Zoonoses in the EU. Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease, 4(1), 31. doi:10.3390/tropicalmed4010031.
  • Li H, Yuan F, Yao Y, Wang J, Li C, Liu Y, Yang J, Zhang Z, Liu J, Liu J, Yang Z, Jin W, Wen D, Shan C, Zheng A. (2026). Ecological vaccination: A strategy to prevent zoonotic spillover from bats. Sci Adv. Mar 13;12(11):eaec0269. doi:10.1126/sciadv.aec0269.

🤲 What to do if you find a bat

• Wildtier SOS: First aid and contacts for injured or orphaned wild animals: https://www.wildtier-sos.de (German only)
• CDC – Bats and Rabies: Advice on handling bats safely and what to do after contact: https://www.cdc.gov/rabies/prevention/bats.html

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