Now that rinderpest has been eradicated, contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP) remains the most important infectious disease of cattle in many tropical African countries including Mali. It is considered as a priority disease by the World Organization for Animal Health, the African Union /Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources, the Pan-African Programme for the Control of Epizootics (PACE) and the FAO-Emergency Prevention System for Transboundary Animal Diseases (EMPRES). All these institutions and programmes have recognised that the lack of sufficient epidemiological data on this disease is an obstacle to implementing efficient plans for its control. Therefore, research must be conducted in order to generate the accurate data needed to prepare a technically appropriate and well coordinated control programme. The present epidemiological study was conducted in Mali with the aim of evaluating the seroprevalence of the disease in cattle and its geographical distribution. Serum samples collected from 7 628 cattle in different parts of the country were tested for the presence of specific antibody against CBPP by a c-ELISA. In parallel to this serological study, data on CBPP outbreaks and abattoir lung seizures over a 10-year period (1997-2006) were collected. Preliminary results indicate a national seroprevalence rate of 16.28% (1 242/7 628) and a herd seroprevalence rate of 85.18% (161/189). In general, both rates correlated and were relatively higher in the central and southern regions (17.77-28.33%; 89.29-100% respectively) than in the northern and western regions (4.63- 11.89%; 60-83.33% respectively). The total number of outbreaks reported from the field was 121, while the number of suspected lung lesions detected in abattoirs was 12 470. The distribution of these figures varied between the country's regions but did not correlate with the observed seroprevalence rates.