BOCA RATON,, Fla., Oct. 8 (UPI) -- Anthrax spores were discovered in the nasal passages of an employee at the same Boca Raton, Fla., offices of a tabloid newspaper where a fatal victim of the disease was employed, state and federal health officials reported Monday.
The unidentified man, in his 60s or 70s, is being treated in a Miami hospital and is expected to recover.
Health officials examining the offices over the weekend found traces of anthrax spores in the new victim's nasal passages.
Traces of the disease were also found in the offices of the Sun tabloid. The offices were closed and about 300 employees were advised to report to a doctor where they will be examined and given antibiotics if necessary.
The Sun is owned by American Media Inc., which owns several tabloids in the same building in Lantana, Fla., including the National Enquirer.
American Media's headquarters will be closed indefinitely while state and federal health officials and the FBI takes samples.
State officials said there was no evidence the anthrax cases were connected to a terrorist attack.
Two samples, one taken from inside the building and one from the nose of the patient, tested positive for Bacillus anthracis Sunday, said Dr. John Agwunobi, the state health secretary.
Agwunobi called the risk to the public "extremely low."
Robert Stevens, 63, a pictures editor for the Sun, was diagnosed with the disease Tuesday, and died Friday afternoon. He was the first case of fatal respiratory anthrax since 1976 although there have been cases of other forms of the disease since then.
Anthrax is a naturally occurring disease that can be contracted through the skin, inhalation, and gastrointestinally. The vast majority of cases arise when people with cuts or abrasions on their hands handle infected animal products.
But anthrax has been produced as a possible biological weapon and the United States has been on heightened alert for its use by terrorists since the Sept. 11 attacks in New York and near Washington.
