Rabies immune status of dogs brought into the Hyogo Prefecture Animal Well-being Center, Japan.

Stray dogs are a public health risk factor when canine rabies is endemic. The Rabies Prevention Law has introduced measures to control stray dogs, but many dogs are still captured in Japan. In order to estimate the immune status of stray dogs for the purposes of risk management, we conducted a serological survey at the Hyogo Prefecture Animal Well-being Center. Only 27.7% of dogs brought into the Center (n=166) had protective immune status. This result suggests that there is the potential for reintroduction of canine rabies into stray dogs, leading to endemic rabies and its transmission to humans. Continued removal of stray dogs, education on rabies prevention and vaccination of dogs therefore remain important public health issues.