Brucellosis is a bacterial infection that systemically affects a wide variety of mammalian species, including humans. Brucellosis occurs worldwide, both endemically and zoonotically to varying degrees, particularly in Africa.

Various studies have been conducted in Africa, both East and Western region of this continent. Those studies have mainly demonstrated the burden, extent of transmission of Brucella agents across various populations in varying ecosystems. However, the appropriate intervention strategies have not been alluded fully.

It is the desire of the brucellosis control and prevention Thematic Training Program (TTP) to address in the varying scale the continuum from determining the burden, species of Brucella zoonotically transmitted, appropriate diagnostic tools and intervention approaches appropriate to the African context.

The TTP-Brucellosis main objective is to identify knowledge gaps towards intervention of brucellosis in Africa. The specific objectives includes:

• to identify species of brucellosis causing infections in human and animals in Africa
• to develop appropriate protocols for intervention of brucellosis in humans and animals (include the aspects of social science – knowledge, perception and behaviour)
• to identify policy gaps and drivers for intervention of brucellosis in humans and animals
• to develop and complement capacity in diagnosis of brucellosis in human, wildlife and livestock in East and West Africa

This TTP is led by Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA, Tanzania), Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d’Ivoire (CSRS) and partnerships involving Ecole Inter Etats des Sciences et Médécine Vétérinaires de Dakar (EISMV, Senegal), Nelson Mandela African Institute of Science and Technology (NM-AIST, Tanzania), Muhimbili Health Alliance Science University (MUHAS, Tanzania), Kilimanjaro Clinical Research Institute – Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCRI-KCMC, Tanzania) and the Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute (TAWIRI, Tanzania), Biosciences eastern and central Africa – International Livestock Research Institute (BecA-ILRI Hub, Kenya), University of Glasgow and Swiss-TPH (Northern partners).