Identification of a rabid dog in France illegally introduced from Morocco

On 26 February 2008, the National Reference Centre for Rabies at the Institut Pasteur in Paris, France, confirmed the diagnosis of rabies in a domestic dog living in Grandpuits, Seine-et-Marne district, a suburb of Paris. The dog was a nine-month-old mixed-breed female, named Cracotte (pictures available at http://www.invs.sante.fr/display/?doc=surveillance/rage/actu.htm). It developed its first symptoms on 15 February, had bitten its owner and one neighbour and had been euthanized on 19 February. The viral strain was identified by the National Reference Centre for Rabies as a strain belonging to Lyssavirus genotype 1, Africa 1 lineage, originating from Morocco. According to its owner, Cracotte had never been outside France. France has been declared officially rabies-free since 2001. An investigation was undertaken to identify the source of infection and modes of transmission for Cracotte in order to identify potentially exposed individuals and animals and to carry out an assessment of the risk of rabies virus transmission in France.