Zoonotic tuberculosis (Mycobacterium bovis): memorandum from a WHO meeting (with the participation of FAO).

In view of the considerable and continuing public health significance of Mycobacterium bovis infection in humans and animals, WHO convened a meeting on zoonotic tuberculosis in Geneva in November 1993. The participants at the meeting reviewed the human and animal tuberculosis situation worldwide, discussed the zoonotic aspects of M. bovis infection in United Republic of Tanzania and Zambia, exchanged views on methodologies in epidemiology, immunology and molecular biology, and identified areas for further research and intersectoral collaboration. A project protocol to investigate the zoonotic aspects of bovine tuberculosis was elaborated by the group and included in their report. This Memorandum is a summary of the full report of the meeting.