Deadly virus samples went missing from lab in ‘major biosecurity breach,’ say authorities

Hundreds of deadly virus samples are missing from a laboratory in Australia, the Queensland government announced on Monday.

The government has instructed Queensland Health — Australia’s public health department — to launch an investigation into what’s being described as a "major historical breach of biosecurity protocols," according to the online media statement.

It was reported that 323 vials of multiple infectious viruses — including Hendra virus, Lyssavirus and Hantavirus — went missing from Queensland’s Public Health Virology Laboratory in August 2023.

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Hendra is a zoonotic (animal-to-human) virus that has only been found in Australia. 

Hantavirus is a family of viruses that can lead to serious illness and death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, while Lyssavirus is a group of viruses that can cause rabies.

The lab where the samples went missing provides "diagnostic services, surveillance and research for viruses and mosquito and tick-borne pathogens of medical importance," the release stated.  

It is not known whether the infectious samples were stolen or destroyed, the statement said, and there is "no evidence of risk to the community."

The government has launched a "Part 9 investigation."

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"With such a serious breach of biosecurity protocols and infectious virus samples potentially missing, Queensland Health must investigate what occurred and how to prevent it from happening again," Minister Timothy Nicholls said in the release.

"The Part 9 investigation will ensure nothing has been overlooked in responding to this incident and examine the current policies and procedures in operation today at the laboratory."

"This investigation will also consider regulatory compliance and staff conduct."

Nicholls added that Queensland Health has taken "proactive measures," including retraining staff on required regulations and conducting audits to ensure correct storage of materials.

Sam Scarpino, PhD, director of AI and life sciences at Northeastern University in Boston, confirmed that the situation in Australia amounts to a "critical biosecurity lapse." 

"The pathogens reported missing are all high-consequence and could pose a threat to the public," he told Fox News Digital. 

The three pathogens can have very high fatality rates in humans, Scarpino said, but they do not transmit readily from person to person. 

"Some hantaviruses have case fatality rates of up to 15%, or over 100 times more lethal than COVID-19, while others are more similar to COVID-19 in terms of severity," he said. 

There is also a high risk to animals and livestock from all three pathogens, he added. 

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The Lyssavirus family contains the rabies virus, which is almost universally fatal in humans if they do not receive treatment in time, the expert noted. 

"Given the limited ability for any of these pathogens to transmit from person to person, the risk of an epidemic is very low," Scarpino said. 

"However, Hendra virus — along with certain members of the Hantavirus and Lyssavirus family — can be very severe in humans and animals."

Chief Health Officer Dr. John Gerrard reiterated in the media statement that there is no evidence of public risk.

"It’s important to note that virus samples would degrade very rapidly outside a low temperature freezer and become non-infectious," he said.

"It’s very unlikely that samples were discarded in general waste, as this would be completely outside routine laboratory practice."

There have been no human cases of Hendra or Lyssavirus in Queensland over the past five years, Gerrard noted, and no confirmed Hantavirus infections "ever in Australia." 

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Despite the low risk, Scarpino said, "It’s important to understand where these samples ended up, to confirm that there is no longer a risk of exposure."

"While I applaud the Australian government for taking this seriously, it’s unacceptable that it took over a year for news of the breach to be made public."

There have been similarly high-profile biosecurity lapses in the U.S., Scarpino noted.

"It’s clear that we need quite a bit more investment and transparency related to pathogen biosecurity," he added.

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Fox News Digital reached out to the Queensland government requesting further comment.