Army lab worker exposed to anthrax

FREDERICK, MARYLAND - A researcher at a germ warfare defense laboratory at Fort Detrick is taking antibiotics as a precaution after testing positive for exposure to anthrax spores, the Army announced. <br> <br> Anthrax was also detected in a hallway and an administrative room at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Disease, but appeared to be contained to the area. Investigators don&#39;t know how spores escaped from the biocontainment lab, Fort Detrick spokesman Charles Dasey said Friday. <br> <br> ``We think it was an accidental exposure,&#39;&#39; he said. <br> <br> The unidentified civilian scientist was previously immunized against anthrax and does not have the disease, Dasey said. He added that no workers at the lab have reported any anthrax symptoms, and measures were being taken to ensure the safety of employees. <br> <br> About 100 people have been moved from the affected area of the building. Exposure tests and antibiotics were available for those who wanted them, Dasey said. <br> <br> ``People who work here understand the science of it and they&#39;re not likely to panic. They&#39;re able to understand this is a low-risk situation for them,&#39;&#39; he said. <br> <br> The spores were of a different strain than the anthrax that killed five people last fall in anonymous mailings, Dasey said. <br> <br> The testing at Fort Detrick began April 8 when a scientist noticed a deposit on a flask in a laboratory where anthrax research is performed. Workers have completed initial decontamination of the affected areas and were doing additional environmental sampling in adjacent areas. <br> <br> A preliminary evaluation found no malfunction in the air handling containment system, which is designed to keep the lab&#39;s air from escaping, Dasey said. <br> <br> Scientists at the Army&#39;s germ warfare defense laboratory study the world&#39;s deadliest microbes and develop vaccines and antidotes for soldiers who could encounter such pathogens naturally or as targets of biological weapons.

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