5 ADDITIONAL FLORIDA NEWS PEOPLE TEST POSITIVE FOR ANTHRAX ANTIBODIES

Five test positive for anthrax antibodies

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Posted at 6:01 p.m. EDT Saturday, October 13, 2001
By DAVID KIDWELL AND LARRY LEBOWITZ
dkidwell@herald.com

Five additional employees of American Media Inc. in Boca Raton have tested positive for anthrax antibodies in their blood stream, but officials cautioned Saturday the tests are preliminary and more blood tests are being done.

``The good news for the public is that it is still all contained within that building,'' said one law enforcement officials close to the investigation. ``Everyone is being very careful because these are presumptive results. We want to be very sure.''

Federal sources on Saturday said there may be reason to doubt the accuracy of the tests, and that authorities were working hard for final confirmation.

Executives at AMI, which publishes most of the nation's supermarket tabloids, said the federal authorities had contacted them and were discussing a having a news conference when the final results were confirmed.

``This is cutting edge science,'' said one law enforcement source. ``As we all know these tests come back positive, then negative. We just want to be responsible.''

According to sources, all five employees were among the more than 965 employees who tested negative on nasal swabs. Investigators also took blood samples. It was the blood tests that came back as presumtive for anthrax on the five employees.

The positive tests for anthrax mean that the invidividuals were exposed to anthrax at some point in their lives, sources said. None of them have complained of symptoms. It was unclear early Saturday in what areas of the 66,000 square-foot, three-story AMI headquarters building the five employees worked.

The five new cases would mean eight AMI employees have been exposed to anthrax, including one case in which a photo editor from The Sun, Bob Stevens, contracted the disease and died Oct. 5.

Federal authorities are investigating whether there may be a link to the anthrax cases in Florida and that of an assistant to NBC anchorman Tom Brokaw at the network's New York headquarters.

Although investigators say they have no evidence of a link, the Florida and New York cases are believed to have been contracted around the same time in late September -- and both cases are believed to have come from mailings.

Two of the AMI employees exposed to anthrax worked in the company's mailroom.