Missing Lab Mice Infected With Plague

Buford C Nuzzle-Chunks writes "PhysOrg is reporting that 'The FBI and New Jersey officials have started a hushed but intensive search for three missing lab mice reportedly infected with deadly strains of plague'. The Washington Post says it's not that big a deal, but I was dismayed at the PhysOrg article's quote from Richard Ebright, a Rutgers University microbiologist, about certain federal bio-terrorism labs: 'You have more security at a McDonald's than at some of these facilities.'"

Comments

Have they checked the obvious?

[codergeek42]

If they're "infected wqith a deadly plague," perhaps they simply died?

Re:Have they checked the obvious?

[The Angry Mick]

One of the articles I read said that a scientist was speculating just that. They got out and probably died not too far from the lab.

What I'm curious to know is, if they died and were subsequently consumed by either a larger animal (dog, cat, etc.) or smaller insects, would the plague be transferable to the consumer? In other words, could a roach eat the remains of the mouse, a rat eat the roach, and the whole plague start over yet again?

The really scarey part....

[evenprime]

The really scarey part is that they had to interview the staff and give them lie detector tests to see if anyone had liberate^H^H^H^H^Hstolen the mice....

I don't get those PETA/ALF types....