Sensors find traces of tularemia in D.C.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 (UPI) -- Investigators are trying to determine if a bacterium that set off sensors during last week's anti-war protest in Washington was naturally present.

Tularemia bacteria can live in soil and may simply have been released by thousands of people kicking up dirt, the Washington Post reported. But the bacteria can also cause a dangerous infection and is listed as a possible biohazard.

Von Roebuck, a spokesman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the disease has not been reported in humans in the Washington area or among any of the thousands who came to the city on Sept. 24 for the demonstration.

The tularemia was detected by the Bio Watch Network, which was set up in 2001 to monitor air in Washington and other major cities for diseases like anthrax that might come from bioterrorist attacks.

Tularemia does not spread by personal contact.