Federal health officials have warned that primary care physicians, hospital emergency rooms and other local health providers must learn to recognize the signs and symptoms of bioterrorism - because they probably will be the first to see them.

The ability to quickly identify the infectious agents unleashed by bioterrorists will be critical to the United States' ability to respond, according to a new, still-unpublished report drafted by a working group of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"This is the case where we've said doctors will have to go back to school," CDC spokeswoman Barbara Reynolds said.

The report, part of the government's effort to prepare for a potential germ warfare threat, was posted over the week-end on the CDC's Internet site. The recommendations already have been accepted by the Clinton administration, Reynolds said.

The plan marks the first time that the CDC has joined with law enforcement, intelligence and defense agencies - in addition to traditional CDC partners such as state and local health agencies - to address a national security threat.