Florida - A second case of anthrax has been detected in the colleague of a man who died of the disease last Friday in Florida, raising concerns about the possibility of bio-terrorism. The FBI is part of a team investigating the cause of the infection but experts cautioned against jumping to conclusions.
A nasal swab taken from the man in Boca Raton, Florida, tested positive for the anthrax bacterium, a spokesman for the Florida department of health, Mr Tim O'Connor, said yesterday.
The man, who has not been named, was in a stable condition at an unidentified hospital, the department added.
He is a colleague of Mr Bob Stevens (63), picture editor of the US tabloid newspaper, the Sun, who died on Friday. Mr Stevens was the first person in 25 years in the US to die from an inhaled form of anthrax, triggering speculation that his illness could have been related to a bio-terrorism attack.