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 The worker likely became exposed to the bacteria, Burkholderia
pseudomallei, during previous travels to parts of the world where
the bacteria is endemic, Jason McDonald, a spokesman at the CDC,
told Reuters.
Five monkeys at the high-security Tulane National Primate Research
Center near New Orleans were accidentally infected with or exposed
to the bacteria late last year.
Three of them had to be euthanized. The other two showed antibodies
that indicated they had been exposed but never had any symptoms,
Tulane officials said.
The rhesus macaque monkeys had been housed in the veterinary clinic
of the center, about 40 miles north of New Orleans. Research on the
bacteria, which was being done to find a vaccine, has been halted
while investigators determine how the bacteria escaped from its
confines in the lab, Tulane spokesman Mike Strecker said.
The clinic, which has been decontaminated, is believed to be where
the monkeys contacted the bacteria while they were being treated for
routine illnesses and injuries suffered in their breeding colony.
Lab workers, veterinary staff and other personnel have tested
negative for the bacteria, CDC officials said earlier this week.
The bacteria can cause a disease called melioidosis in both humans
and animals. It has a wide range of symptoms that can be confused
with other diseases like tuberculosis or pneumonia, according to the
CDC.
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In late January, the investigator with the U.S. Department of
Agriculture became sick after having visited the center, and an
antibody test indicated she had been exposed to the bacteria,
Strecker said.
But testing this week showed her antibody levels had not grown since
her visit to the clinic, MacDonald said. That indicated the exposure
was an old one, he said, and occurred before her investigation at
the center.
CDC officials did not identify the country in which the investigator
had been traveling, but said the bacteria was endemic in regions
including Southeast Asia and Australia.
(Reporting by Karen Brooks in Austin, Texas; Editing by Peter
Cooney)
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