Buffaloed in Brandenburg: Germany’s first brush with foot-and-mouth disease after four decades of freedom

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) virus is one of the most feared and most consequential pathogens of livestock worldwide. It can be spread rapidly by the transboundary movement of animals, animal products, and by-products. In January 2025, Germany detected its first FMD outbreak since 1988 in extensively reared water buffalo on a small farm in the state of Brandenburg, directly outside Berlin, the federal capital. Immediate control measures including a standstill for movements of susceptible animals and pre-emptive culling were implemented by the veterinary authorities. Whole-genome sequencing identified the virus as serotype O, topotype ME-SA, lineage SA-2018 and revealed extensive recombination, but cross-neutralization assays suggested good heterologous protection by an O/PanAsia-2 vaccine strain. Epidemiological back-calculation placed the time of virus introduction in late December 2024. Although the entry route remains unresolved, human-associated introduction is most likely. Network analysis revealed minimal farm connectivity, and simulations predicted low potential for onward transmission, which is consistent with the outbreak being ultimately restricted to a single herd. This event underscores the constant and unpredictable risk of introduction of the virus. Early detection through increased awareness and comprehensive differential diagnostics as well as the international collaboration of veterinary services, laboratories, and experts are essential in the face of the global presence of FMD.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Science Advances
Published
2026-10-09
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aeh6459
Primary Topic
Animal Disease Management and Epidemiology
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Buffaloed in Brandenburg: Germany’s first brush with foot-and-mouth disease after four decades of freedom

Sharon Karniely, Wulf-Iwo Bock, Christa Kuehn, Labib Bakkali‐Kassimi et al.
Science Advances
Animal Disease Management and Epidemiology
article

Buffaloed in Brandenburg: Germany’s first brush with foot-and-mouth disease after four decades of freedom

Sharon Karniely, Wulf-Iwo Bock, Christa Kuehn, Labib Bakkali‐Kassimi, Michael Eschbaumer, Angele Breithaupt, Sabrina Freter, Ronny Marquart, Katja Schulz, Christina Haarmann, Guillaume Girault, Ünal Parlak, Aurore Romey, Martin Beer, Sabine Bock, Florian Pfaff, Annett Rudovsky, Jörn Martin Gethmann, Sten Calvelage, Dirk W. Höper, Christoph Schulze, Donald P. King, Carola Sauter‐Louis, Nick J. Knowles, Patrick Zitzow, Can Çokçalışkan, Lisa Rogoll, Kerstin Albrecht, Christoph Staubach, Nadine Kakerow, Stephan Nickisch, Sarah Lenz, Nicole Reinhardt, Barbara Hoffmann, Laith Mohammed Salih Abdulrasool, Sandra Leo
article en

Abstract

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) virus is one of the most feared and most consequential pathogens of livestock worldwide. It can be spread rapidly by the transboundary movement of animals, animal products, and by-products. In January 2025, Germany detected its first FMD outbreak since 1988 in extensively reared water buffalo on a small farm in the state of Brandenburg, directly outside Berlin, the federal capital. Immediate control measures including a standstill for movements of susceptible animals and pre-emptive culling were implemented by the veterinary authorities. Whole-genome sequencing identified the virus as serotype O, topotype ME-SA, lineage SA-2018 and revealed extensive recombination, but cross-neutralization assays suggested good heterologous protection by an O/PanAsia-2 vaccine strain. Epidemiological back-calculation placed the time of virus introduction in late December 2024. Although the entry route remains unresolved, human-associated introduction is most likely. Network analysis revealed minimal farm connectivity, and simulations predicted low potential for onward transmission, which is consistent with the outbreak being ultimately restricted to a single herd. This event underscores the constant and unpredictable risk of introduction of the virus. Early detection through increased awareness and comprehensive differential diagnostics as well as the international collaboration of veterinary services, laboratories, and experts are essential in the face of the global presence of FMD.

Science AdvancesVol. 12(41)
The Pirbright Institute (GB), Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (DE), École Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort (FR), Bundesministerium für Landwirtschaft, Ernährung und Heimat (DE), Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement (FR), Project Directorate on Foot and Mouth Disease (IN), Lower Saxony State Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety (DE), Virologie (FR), Senate of Berlin (DE)
Openalex Percentile: Top 9%
Animal Disease Management and Epidemiology
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.