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Biological agent detected in St. Louis, but threat called unlikely
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By JIM SALTER
Associated Press Writer
ST. LOUIS (AP) - An air monitoring system near Busch Stadium detected levels of the biological agent tularemia, but city officials said the agent is naturally occurring and there was no indication of terrorism or wrongdoing.
Particles of tularemia, also known as rabbit fever, were detected Monday by a sensor a few blocks from the ballpark, where the Cardinals and New York Mets were playing Game 5 of the National League Championship Series Tuesday. The sensors were placed in several major cities after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks as a way to ensure against bioterrorism.
St. Louis Health Department chief Dr. William Kincaid said local officials spent most of Tuesday working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and state officials. Further testing at a state lab in Jefferson City showed the amount of tularemia was not significant, Kincaid said.
Officials have also checked with emergency rooms and doctors' offices throughout the St. Louis area. No one has complained of symptoms common with tularemia - headache, fever, joint stiffness, muscle pain. On rare occasions, tularemia can be fatal.
“We'll continue monitoring for a couple more days to make sure, but we think this is an isolated event,” Kincaid said.
Tularemia is found in the soil and can infect rabbits and other animals. Jeff Rainford, chief of staff for Mayor Francis Slay, said tularemia is naturally found in Missouri, and is most common in the summer and fall.
Other cities have had tularemia scares, too, both at about the same time of year. Kincaid said a monitor in Washington detected similar levels there a year or two ago, a finding that also proved to be a false warning.
Sensors in Houston detected fragments of tularemia on three consecutive days in October 2003. It turned out to be naturally occurring and no one became ill.
It's not uncommon to have high readings in the Midwest,” Kincaid said. “The thing that's unusual is we had one of the alarms go off.”
The sensors, operated by the Department of Homeland Security's BioWatch Program, collect airborne particles onto filters, which are then taken to labs for analysis. The goal is to provide early warning of a pathogen release to help prevent widespread illness and death from bioterrorism.
The U.S. military stockpiled tularemia as a bioweapon in the 1960s.
Rainford said tularemia is often spread by insect bites. Hunters sometimes come down with it, he said. Antibiotics are used to treat it.
Calls to the Department of Homeland Security were not returned.
Particles of tularemia, also known as rabbit fever, were detected Monday by a sensor a few blocks from the ballpark, where the Cardinals and New York Mets were playing Game 5 of the National League Championship Series Tuesday. The sensors were placed in several major cities after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks as a way to ensure against bioterrorism.
St. Louis Health Department chief Dr. William Kincaid said local officials spent most of Tuesday working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and state officials. Further testing at a state lab in Jefferson City showed the amount of tularemia was not significant, Kincaid said.
Officials have also checked with emergency rooms and doctors' offices throughout the St. Louis area. No one has complained of symptoms common with tularemia - headache, fever, joint stiffness, muscle pain. On rare occasions, tularemia can be fatal.
“We'll continue monitoring for a couple more days to make sure, but we think this is an isolated event,” Kincaid said.
Tularemia is found in the soil and can infect rabbits and other animals. Jeff Rainford, chief of staff for Mayor Francis Slay, said tularemia is naturally found in Missouri, and is most common in the summer and fall.
Other cities have had tularemia scares, too, both at about the same time of year. Kincaid said a monitor in Washington detected similar levels there a year or two ago, a finding that also proved to be a false warning.
Sensors in Houston detected fragments of tularemia on three consecutive days in October 2003. It turned out to be naturally occurring and no one became ill.
It's not uncommon to have high readings in the Midwest,” Kincaid said. “The thing that's unusual is we had one of the alarms go off.”
The sensors, operated by the Department of Homeland Security's BioWatch Program, collect airborne particles onto filters, which are then taken to labs for analysis. The goal is to provide early warning of a pathogen release to help prevent widespread illness and death from bioterrorism.
The U.S. military stockpiled tularemia as a bioweapon in the 1960s.
Rainford said tularemia is often spread by insect bites. Hunters sometimes come down with it, he said. Antibiotics are used to treat it.
Calls to the Department of Homeland Security were not returned.
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