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 DENVER (AP) - A third sputum test on a man quarantined with a dangerous strain of tuberculosis was negative for the presence of TB bacteria, hospital officials said Tuesday, opening up the possibility that he could be briefly allowed out of isolation.
The tests results mean Andrew Speaker is considered to have a relatively low chance of spreading the disease, given certain precautions, doctors said.
Normally, TB patients with three negative sputum tests who have undergone two weeks of treatment are allowed to leave their isolation room for short periods as long as they wear a mask. No decision has been made yet on when Speaker will be able to leave his room, said William Allstetter, a spokesman for National Jewish Medical and Research Center.
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