Brucellosis in Sub-Saharan Africa: Current challenges for management, diagnosis and control

- Bacteriological and serological evidence of brucellosis in Sub-Saharan Africa are reviewed.
- Strategies for implementation of animal vaccination are discussed.
- There is a need for simpler and more affordable treatments for human brucellosis.
- Development of a B. melitensis vaccine to circumvent the drawbacks of Rev 1 is overdue.
- Performance of serological tests for camel and wildlife brucellosis should be investigated.

Brucellosis is a highly contagious zoonosis caused by bacteria of the genus Brucella and affecting domestic and wild mammals. In this paper, the bacteriological and serological evidence of brucellosis in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and its epidemiological characteristics are discussed. The tools available for the diagnosis and treatment of human brucellosis and for the diagnosis and control of animal brucellosis and their applicability in the context of SSA are presented and gaps identified. These gaps concern mostly the need for simpler and more affordable antimicrobial treatments against human brucellosis, the development of a B. melitensis vaccine that could circumvent the drawbacks of the currently available Rev 1 vaccine, and the investigation of serological diagnostic tests for camel brucellosis and wildlife. Strategies for the implementation of animal vaccination are also discussed.

The tools available for the diagnosis and control of brucellosis and their applicability in the context of SSA are presented and gaps identified.96