LANZHOU, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) -- Sixty-five people in a veterinary research institute in Lanzhou, northwest China's Gansu Province, have been diagnosed with brucellosis, local health authority said Friday night.

Four suspected cases of brucellosis, all from the Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, were reported by the First Hospital of Lanzhou University on Monday, the city's health commission said.

As of Friday noon, 263 people at the institute had been tested, of which 65, mainly laboratory staff, were confirmed antibody-positive.

The patients have been under medical observation and will be given standard treatment if necessary, the commission said.

The local department of agriculture is investigating the source of the disease and carrying out monitoring work.

Brucellosis, also known as the Mediterranean fever, is an infectious bacterial disease of human beings caused by brucella, transmitted by contact with infected livestock including cattle and sheep. It is characterized by fever, malaise and headaches.

The local health commission said the risk of human-to-human transmission of brucella is minimal. Enditem

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