Nevada health officials say results from anthrax tests on four workers negative

By Martin Griffith
Associated Press Writer

RENO, Nev. – Four people who may have come into contact with a contaminated letter sent to a Microsoft office have tested negative for inhaled anthrax, Nevada health officials said Sunday.

Final test results for two others exposed to the letter won't be known until Monday, said Washoe County health officer Barbara Hunt. Preliminary tests on their nasal swabs were also negative for the bacteria.

All six people – five Microsoft employees and a family member – had some form of contact to the letter sent from Malaysia to the Reno office.

So far, no one has tested positive for the disease or become ill.

An initial test on the letter's contents produced results "consistent with it being anthrax," health officials said. The subsequent test was more specific to anthrax, but came back negative.

A third test on pornographic pictures in the letter tested positive for anthrax, Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn said Saturday.

State officials have sent the pictures to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta for further testing, Guinn said.

"We're obviously relieved to hear ... their tests came back negative," Microsoft spokesman Matt Pilla said. "That's obviously great news. We're just waiting to hear from the CDC."

Microsoft officials contacted health officials Wednesday about the letter, which had been sent to the Microsoft Licensing Inc. office.

Health officials said the letter had been opened and appeared to have been moistened and then dried. The governor said Microsoft had sent a check in the letter to a vendor in Malaysia, and the check was still in the letter, along with pornographic material. The vendor wasn't identified.

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