All participants (n = 86) Area of professional activity [29] . The low priority group contains both pathogens with very low incidence in Germany (e.g., Mycobacterium leprae or helminths) and those much more common (e.g., Roseolovirus or Chlamydia pneumoniae), supporting our approach that the importance of a pathogen is defined by multiple factors rather than by its incidence or prevalence alone. Complex surveillance systems exist for some pathogens that were assigned to the medium priority group, for example, Francisella tularensis or Yersinia pestis. Although the amount of research that should be dedicated to those medium-and lowpriority pathogens must be revised, undoubtedly the need to investigate outbreaks associated with these pathogens, to maintain diagnostic capacity and to continue efficient surveillance to pick up increasing trends of these rare illnesses, remains.