Brucellosis remains one of the most common zoonosis globally, affecting both animal and human health. In China, the number of human brucellosis cases continues to grow due to the lack of an effective licensed vaccine. After infection by Brucella, the bacteria can adapt to the host macrophage internal environment through regulating the expression of its own genes, ensuring its resting survival and subsequent replication, which hinders effective therapeutics for brucellosis. This review focuses on the issues of Brucella species and its host range, animal infection models and vaccine investigation, summarizes the mechanisms of Brucella intracellular survival within the host, and proposes key points for the prevention and control of brucellosis.