PHILADELPHIA, Sept 15 KRT - Three mice infected with bubonic plague have been reported missing from a New Jersey bioterrorism research lab.
However, authorities say not to panic since the rodents most likely were eaten by their fellow test subjects.
Although what happened to the mice is not definitely known, officials say there’s no reason to worry about a spread of the disease that killed millions of people during the Middle Ages.
The genetically engineered mice were among 24 being used in a trial of an experimental plague vaccine at the Public Health Research Institute on the campus of the University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey in Newark.
When a lab scientist working on the experiment learned about two weeks ago that three mice could not be accounted for, the institute followed protocol and contacted federal authorities.
The investigation by the FBI so far has found no evidence of terrorism or even a crime at the lab, said Special Agent Steve Siegel of the FBI’s Newark office.
Lie-detector tests were given to several lab employees, he said.
The FBI has expended a tremendous amount of manpower and resources on this matter,'' Siegel said. The lab incident was first reported by the Star Ledger in Newark yesterday. It is unusual for the FBI to comment on an ongoing investigation, but Siegel said the agency decided to discuss the case since there was a perceived risk to the public.’’
There were three sets of eight mice being used for the experiment - one set injected with a proven vaccine, one with the trial vaccine, and one receiving no vaccine.
About three weeks ago, all were injected with the plague. The mice then typically die within three days, according to lab officials.
A scientist working on the trial could not get a satisfactory answer from the animal handlers who monitor and care for the animals as to why only 21 mice remained at the end the testing.
Following lab protocol, the federal Centres for Disease Control and Prevention was called, and then the FBI, said David Perlin, president and scientific director of the institute.
Perlin said in a telephone interview he was confident there was no way any of the mice could have escaped the lab and the building, or have been removed by a staff member.
The best theory, Perlin said, is the mice were eaten by their cagemates and the lab staff didn’t see the remains in the sawdust the animals live in when the cages were cleaned and sterilised.