Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease found worldwide (500,000 new cases annually globally), but its incidence and prevalence vary widely from one country to another. In France, surveillance of brucellosis in humans is based on mandatory reporting. The number of human cases reported under mandatory reporting has declined sharply since 1978 (more than 800 in 1978 compared to 77 in 1997 and 44 in 2000), thanks in particular to an intensive control program targeting primarily bovine, ovine, and caprine brucellosis. Due to the increase in animal outbreaks in France, the rise in high-risk livestock practices, and the lack of knowledge regarding the transmission of the disease to humans, a study aimed at improving understanding of the epidemiology of human brucellosis caused by B. suis 2 in France was conducted in 2003 in order to implement, where appropriate, control measures suited to the current situation. (R.A.)