Found worldwide, brucellosis is a bacterial disease transmitted from animals to humans. Acute human brucellosis can progress to a chronic form with severe localized lesions, such as spinal infections or brain abscesses. It is a notifiable disease in most countries. The WHO estimates the global incidence of human brucellosis at 500,000 new cases per year. In France, the disease is now rare and has declined significantly since the 1960s, in line with improvements in the disease situation among ruminants. Currently, approximately 80% of cases diagnosed in France result from an infection contracted while traveling in a country where the disease in animals is not under control. These infections occur mainly in people who have consumed contaminated dairy products or who have been in direct contact with an infected animal. Hygiene and safety measures can help prevent the disease.

Key Figures on Brucellosis in France in 2022

Between January 1 and December 31, 2022, 40 new cases of brucellosis were reported in 12 French regions, including 10 (25%) in Île-de-France and 8 (20%) in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.

Thirty-four strains belonged to the species Brucella melitensis, one to the species B. abortus, and one had not been characterized. Thirty-eight (95%) of the 40 cases were linked to “imported” infections: travel to Algeria (n=24), Turkey (n=4), Tunisia and Djibouti (n=2 each), and Armenia, China, and Lebanon (n=1 each).

In 2022, the third year since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of brucellosis cases returned to 2019 levels (n=42), in line with the resumption of travel to countries considered endemic.

How is brucellosis monitored in France?

Santé publique France monitors human brucellosis through mandatory reporting of the disease and diagnoses made by the National Reference Center for Brucella.

Annual surveillance data are based on cases diagnosed in private practice and in hospitals. These data help describe the different forms of the disease and track trends to better target local and national prevention efforts.

• Learn more about brucellosis surveillance

How can you become infected?

You can become infected:

• through direct contact with sick animals;

• by ingesting contaminated food (unpasteurized milk and dairy products from infected animals, more rarely raw vegetables contaminated by manure, or, in exceptional cases, undercooked meat and offal);

• through inhalation (of bedding dust or contaminated aerosols in laboratories or slaughterhouses).

Health and safety guidelines to follow to prevent brucellosis

Preventing occupational exposure relies on biosecurity and hygiene measures in the workplace.

This applies to professionals working in direct contact with infected animals (livestock farmers, veterinarians, slaughterhouse staff, personnel in veterinary or medical testing laboratories, etc.). In practice, this situation no longer occurs in France due to the absence of animal brucellosis outbreaks among ruminants (cattle, sheep, goats).

For consumers, raw milk dairy products produced in France come from herds that are subject to mandatory brucellosis surveillance. The residual risk lies in the consumption of milk-based products in countries where animal brucellosis is not controlled, or products brought back from these countries following a trip.