Investigation Underway as Queensland Lab Loses Deadly Virus Samples

The breach occurred in 2021 but was only discovered in 2023.

This photo taken on July 20, 2011 shows fruit bats as they hang from a tree in Gayndah, South Eastern Queensland. Horses in Queensland and New South Wales were previously infected with the 'Hendra' virus carried by bats. John Wilson/AFP via Getty Images

Queensland authorities have launched an urgent investigation into the whereabouts of 323 virus samples missing from a government-run high-tech Virology Laboratory.

The incident, called “a serious breach of biosecurity,” happened in 2021, but was only discovered in 2023. The laboratory is involved in researching infectious viruses caught from mosquitoes and ticks.