SAN DIEGO -- A research team led by a University Of California San Diego professor won a $4.7 million grant to study brucellosis, a highly infectious disease considered a potential bioterrorism threat to U.S. security, UCSD announced Tuesday.

Dr. Joseph Vinetz, of UCSD's School of Medicine, heads a cooperative research project involving seven institutions in the United States and Peru, where the research will be focused.

His team will conduct the five-year project in collaboration with the Pacific Southwest Regional Center of Excellence for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases Research at UC Irvine, according to UCSD.

The project "is an excellent example of the global reach of UC San Diego and the UC system," said UCSD Chancellor Marye Anne Fox. "It will take advanced research techniques developed by UC scientists to countries where the disease is widespread, in order to fight a disease that could impact our national security."

Humans most often become infected with brucellosis by consuming unpasteurized milk products from animals infected with the bacteria that causes the disease. It is common in Peru because many people in that country commonly consume cheese made from unpasteurized goat milk, according to Vinetz.

"Brucellosis is difficult to diagnose and treat, and has been explored in the past as a potential bio-warfare agent," he said. "While the disease is relatively rare in America, cases regularly occur in Texas, Arizona and California, which have a high number of immigrants who consume products made from unpasteurized goat and cow milk."

The disease can cause a wide range of symptoms in humans, ranging from flu-like fever and headache to severe infections of the lining of the heart and central nervous system.

According to UCSD, the aim of the researchers is two-fold: to gather a specimen bank of the bacteria, and to develop an inexpensive diagnostic test that could be transported to remote sites.

"We hope to develop a low-tech test that is based on high-tech science,"Vinetz said."These tests will be directly useful in the rare event of a bioterrorism attack and, more importanty, globally useful in brucellosis endemic regions."

The grant was awarded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, part of the National Institutes of Health.