TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — A New Jersey physician who thought he might have contracted skin anthrax in the first week of September has tested negative for the disease, state health officials said.
Dr. Gerald M. Weisfogel's case drew attention because it preceded the mailing of anthrax-tainted letters from New Jersey on or around Sept. 18, leading to speculation that he may have come in contact with someone who sent the bacteria.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tested Weisfogel's blood after he called a state hotline and said he had developed a suspicious skin lesion.
Weisfogel said he initially thought his skin lesion was a spider bite and treated himself with antibiotics but asked to be tested for anthrax at the urging of a relative.