It is assumed that human tuberculosis by M. bovis in developing countries today is analogous to the situation in 1930 and 1940 in Europe, where it was responsible for more than 50% of cases of cervical lymphadenitis in children, which can be aggravated by the extra weight of AIDS/HIV. In Brazil, of 200 positive cultures of tuberculous patients, seven (3.5%), all isolated from children, were M. bovis. Five had pulmonary origin, two of which being multidrug-resistant (MDR), isoniazid and rifampicin. WHO (World Health Organization) estimates that 110 thousand new cases of tuberculosis occur each year in Brazil, with M. bovis responsible for 5% (or 5,500) of the occurrences. In a survey in the State of Minas Gerais in 1999, the prevalence was 5% of positive properties for bovine tuberculosis ( M. bovis). As these rates found could be a problem for both animal productivity and public health, the National Program for the Control and Eradication of Brucellosis and Tuberculosis (PNCEBT) in herds was implemented in Brazil. In addition, WHO has demanded collaboration between medical and veterinary services and extensive epidemiological studies on the participation of M. bovis in human Tuberculosis (TB), mainly for developing countries. This project was directed to the following questions: - What is the frequency of M. bovis in TB cases, in a national reference hospital? - What are the risk factors associated both with the transmission of M. bovis to and between humans, and with the manifestation of the disease by this agent in people? - What is the origin of M. bovis infection in humans (food, farm animals, etc.)? The project brought together competencies that already exist in the country (Embrapa Dairy Cattle, LFDA-MG (Federal Laboratory for Agricultural Defense-Minas Gerais), Fiocruz (Oswaldo Cruz Foundation), universities, health service and others), which otherwise have not yet communicated with each other in a systematized way, seeking to answer in an integrated way the questions raised. When answering them, the project provided important information to support the PNCEBT, other official public health programs (i.e. the National Tuberculosis Control Program) and food security programs (i.e. the Safe Food Program).