diff --git a/server/message_cache_test.go b/server/message_cache_test.go
index 9132088e..07929e0c 100644
--- a/server/message_cache_test.go
+++ b/server/message_cache_test.go
@@ -34,9 +34,9 @@ func testCacheMessages(t *testing.T, c *messageCache) {
 	require.Equal(t, errUnexpectedMessageType, c.AddMessage(newOpenMessage("example")))      // These should not be added!
 
 	// mytopic: count
-	count, err := c.MessageCounts("mytopic")
+	counts, err := c.MessageCounts()
 	require.Nil(t, err)
-	require.Equal(t, 2, count)
+	require.Equal(t, 2, counts["mytopic"])
 
 	// mytopic: since all
 	messages, _ := c.Messages("mytopic", sinceAllMessages, false)
@@ -66,18 +66,18 @@ func testCacheMessages(t *testing.T, c *messageCache) {
 	require.Equal(t, "my other message", messages[0].Message)
 
 	// example: count
-	count, err = c.MessageCounts("example")
+	counts, err = c.MessageCounts()
 	require.Nil(t, err)
-	require.Equal(t, 1, count)
+	require.Equal(t, 1, counts["example"])
 
 	// example: since all
 	messages, _ = c.Messages("example", sinceAllMessages, false)
 	require.Equal(t, "my example message", messages[0].Message)
 
 	// non-existing: count
-	count, err = c.MessageCounts("doesnotexist")
+	counts, err = c.MessageCounts()
 	require.Nil(t, err)
-	require.Equal(t, 0, count)
+	require.Equal(t, 0, counts["doesnotexist"])
 
 	// non-existing: since all
 	messages, _ = c.Messages("doesnotexist", sinceAllMessages, false)
@@ -255,13 +255,13 @@ func testCachePrune(t *testing.T, c *messageCache) {
 	require.Nil(t, c.AddMessage(m3))
 	require.Nil(t, c.Prune(time.Unix(2, 0)))
 
-	count, err := c.MessageCounts("mytopic")
+	counts, err := c.MessageCounts()
 	require.Nil(t, err)
-	require.Equal(t, 1, count)
+	require.Equal(t, 1, counts["mytopic"])
 
-	count, err = c.MessageCounts("another_topic")
+	counts, err = c.MessageCounts()
 	require.Nil(t, err)
-	require.Equal(t, 0, count)
+	require.Equal(t, 0, counts["another_topic"])
 
 	messages, err := c.Messages("mytopic", sinceAllMessages, false)
 	require.Nil(t, err)
diff --git a/server/server.go b/server/server.go
index 2c887cc1..0801ed9c 100644
--- a/server/server.go
+++ b/server/server.go
@@ -1090,7 +1090,7 @@ func (s *Server) updateStatsAndPrune() {
 	staleVisitors := 0
 	for ip, v := range s.visitors {
 		if v.Stale() {
-			log.Debug("Deleting stale visitor %s", v.ip)
+			log.Trace("Deleting stale visitor %s", v.ip)
 			delete(s.visitors, ip)
 			staleVisitors++
 		}
@@ -1131,13 +1131,14 @@ func (s *Server) updateStatsAndPrune() {
 		messages += count
 	}
 
-	// Prune old topics, remove subscriptions without subscribers
+	// Remove subscriptions without subscribers
 	s.mu.Lock()
 	var subscribers int
 	for _, t := range s.topics {
-		subs := t.Subscribers()
+		subs := t.SubscribersCount()
 		msgs, exists := messageCounts[t.ID]
 		if subs == 0 && (!exists || msgs == 0) {
+			log.Trace("Deleting empty topic %s", t.ID)
 			delete(s.topics, t.ID)
 			continue
 		}
diff --git a/server/topic.go b/server/topic.go
index 889f1eb7..8ce7953a 100644
--- a/server/topic.go
+++ b/server/topic.go
@@ -44,11 +44,12 @@ func (t *topic) Unsubscribe(id int) {
 // Publish asynchronously publishes to all subscribers
 func (t *topic) Publish(v *visitor, m *message) error {
 	go func() {
-		t.mu.Lock()
-		defer t.mu.Unlock()
-		if len(t.subscribers) > 0 {
-			log.Debug("%s Forwarding to %d subscriber(s)", logMessagePrefix(v, m), len(t.subscribers))
-			for _, s := range t.subscribers {
+		// We want to lock the topic as short as possible, so we make a shallow copy of the
+		// subscribers map here. Actually sending out the messages then doesn't have to lock.
+		subscribers := t.subscribersCopy()
+		if len(subscribers) > 0 {
+			log.Debug("%s Forwarding to %d subscriber(s)", logMessagePrefix(v, m), len(subscribers))
+			for _, s := range subscribers {
 				if err := s(v, m); err != nil {
 					log.Warn("%s Error forwarding to subscriber", logMessagePrefix(v, m))
 				}
@@ -60,9 +61,20 @@ func (t *topic) Publish(v *visitor, m *message) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-// Subscribers returns the number of subscribers to this topic
-func (t *topic) Subscribers() int {
+// SubscribersCount returns the number of subscribers to this topic
+func (t *topic) SubscribersCount() int {
 	t.mu.Lock()
 	defer t.mu.Unlock()
 	return len(t.subscribers)
 }
+
+// subscribersCopy returns a shallow copy of the subscribers map
+func (t *topic) subscribersCopy() map[int]subscriber {
+	t.mu.Lock()
+	defer t.mu.Unlock()
+	subscribers := make(map[int]subscriber)
+	for k, v := range t.subscribers {
+		subscribers[k] = v
+	}
+	return subscribers
+}