( CNN ) An employee at the Tulane National Primate Research Center near New Orleans has tested positive for a potentially deadly strain of bacteria kept at the facility . The employee is not sick , and Jason McDonald , a spokesman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , said the bacteria are not likely to be a threat to the general population . The worker tested positive to exposure of Burkholderia pseudomallei , which can cause can cause melioidosis , or Whitmore 's disease . `` It is predominately a disease of tropical climates , especially in Southeast Asia and northern Australia where it is widespread , '' according to the CDC website . The CDC is waiting on additional test results to determine if the exposure occurred at the research center or somewhere else , McDonald said . The CDC and U.S. Department of Agriculture are at the campus , continuing an investigation that began in November when two monkeys were diagnosed with Whitmore 's disease . Six others have antibodies indicating exposure to the bacterium . Since then federal health officials have been working with state and local officials to investigate the source . Blood tests have been conducted on nearly 70 primates at the center , with one testing positive for antibodies , McDonald said . According to the CDC , `` the bacteria causing melioidosis are found in contaminated water and soil . It is spread to humans and animals through direct contact with the contaminated source . ''
The CDC says bacteria are not likely to be a threat to the general population . Comment: