Features of the epizootic process of rabies in the foothill and mountainous areas of the North Caucasus

This analysis of epizootic development patterns in the European part of the Russian Federation is based on data on officially registered rabies cases for the period 2013–2025.

In the natural provinces of the North Caucasus, the rabies epizootic process is characterized by low incidence and develops with distinct regional characteristics. There is no formation of distinct long-term epizootic cycles; the number of registered cases of rabies in domestic and farm animals exceeds the number of cases in wild animals, which is atypical for natural epizootics.

The high percentage of farm and domestic animals involved in the rabies epizootic process is explained by the prolonged presence of animals outdoors, a common occurrence in southern regions. This leads to a pronounced «spillover effect» in natural epizootics, even under conditions of low incidence among reservoir species. In the North Caucasus Federal District, the rabies epizootic process is occurring in an area partially isolated by geographic barriers. The Greater Caucasus Range to the south, as well as dry steppe and semi-desert zones to the east, significantly limit the potential paths for rabies epizootic waves. This results in low stability of the rabies epizootic process, which is directly dependent on the rabies incidence rate in neighboring regions. The observed decline in rabies incidence in the European part of the Russian Federation over the past decade has triggered a sharp reduction in the number of rabies epizootic waves circulating in the natural provinces of the Pre-Caucasus and the slopes of the Greater Caucasus. From 2013 to 2015, the North Caucasus Federal District accounted for 3.5% of all rabies cases (in the European part of the Russian Federation). However, by 2022–2024, this figure had decreased to 1.5% and to 0.4% in 2025.

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