What We Do
In France, brucellosis is no longer primarily a disease affecting livestock farmers and veterinarians in rural areas, but rather one that mainly affects travelers returning from enzootic countries and consumers of dairy products imported from enzootic regions. Although indigenous cases have become rare in our country, they can still occur, particularly in medical or veterinary laboratories, if standard precautions are not taken when handling biological samples.
Santé publique France’s efforts focus on two main areas: surveillance and prevention.
Epidemiological Surveillance of Brucellosis
One of Santé publique France’s missions is to monitor human brucellosis through mandatory reporting of the disease and diagnoses made by the National Reference Center.
We also provide scientific expertise to Regional Health Agencies (ARS) for epidemiological investigations and to risk managers for the implementation of control measures (DGS, and potentially animal health authorities).
Mandatory reporting
Mandatory reporting involves collecting as comprehensive information as possible regarding all cases of certain diseases known as “notifiable diseases” from laboratory technicians and physicians.
It involves two successive procedures: reporting and notification.
Physicians and biologists who suspect or diagnose a notifiable disease must report it immediately and by any appropriate means (telephone, fax, email) to the physician at the Regional Health Agency (ARS) in their area of practice.
The report allows the ARS physician to implement individual and collective control and prevention measures around the cases and, if necessary, to initiate investigations to identify the source of the infection and take action to reduce it.
Notification occurs after the report and most often after confirmation of the diagnosis. Reporting physicians or laboratory scientists notify the ARS physician at their place of practice using a form specific to each disease. Notification enables the analysis and monitoring of the progression of these diseases within the population in order to better target local and national prevention efforts.
Case Definition
| Reported cases | Type of notification form | Notified cases | Reporting and notification criteria |
|---|---|---|---|
| Probable and confirmed cases | Simple and downloadable | Possible, probable, and confirmed cases |
Clinical presentation suggestive of brucellosis associated with: - Confirmed case: isolation of Brucella spp. from a clinical specimen. - Probable case: at least one of the following results: positive gene amplification in a clinical specimen; or at least a 4-fold increase in antibody titer or seroconversion between a serum sample collected during the acute phase and a serum sample collected at least 15 days later. - Possible case: detection of high-titer antibodies in a single serum sample. |
Notification Form
Informing the public about the reporting of notifiable diseases
Surveillance Partners
Regional Health Agencies (list and locations)
The National Reference Center (CNR)
Activities: Identification and typing of Brucella strains - Epidemiological expertise
Contact: Dr. David O’Callaghan - 04 66 02 81 46 - david.o-callaghan@umontpellier.fr
Contact Information: Nîmes University Hospital Carémeau University Hospital Campus Department of Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene Inserm U1047 186 Chemin du Carreau de Lannes - 30900 Nîmes Cedex 09Secretariat: 04 66 68 32 02 - Fax: 04 66 68 42 54 - Email: CNR.brucella@chu-nimes.fr
To learn more about the missions of the National Reference Centers, click here.
