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Missing Lab Mice Infected With Plague

Posted by Zonk on from the who-wants-bubons-i-do-i-do dept.

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.'"

14 of 320 comments (clear)

  1. All we need is... by NotFamous · · Score: 5, Funny

    Someone to build a better mousetrap!

    --
    Some settling may occur during posting.
    1. Re:All we need is... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Pinky: 'What are we going to do tonight, Brain?'

      Brain: "What we always do, Pinky...try and take over the world!'

      Pinky: 'NARF!'

  2. The British are going to help you... by gowen · · Score: 5, Funny

    ... just as soon as we capture the last of these rage infected monkeys.

    --
    Athletic Scholarships to universities make as much sense as academic scholarships to sports teams.
    1. Re:The British are going to help you... by bombadier_beetle · · Score: 5, Funny

      Please hurry. One of them got loose, came over to the States and became President.

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      If you mod me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.
  3. Have they checked the obvious? by codergeek42 · · Score: 5, Insightful

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

    1. Re:Have they checked the obvious? by Fishstick · · Score: 5, Informative

      IIRC, Plague's primary tranmission vector was fleas:

      The classic mode of transmission to humans is a fleabite. Alternately, broken skin serves as a portal when tissue or blood of an infected animal is handled (skinning or evisceration of infected animals). Competency of the flea to serve as vector for transmission of plague to humans depends on its willingness to feed on a human host and its tendency to regurgitate intestinal contents during a blood meal. Fleas from sylvatic rodents feed on humans only reluctantly. However, the Oriental rat flea (Xenopsylla cheopis) is an effective vector because of its tendency to regurgitate and to feed on nonrodent hosts. When the flea takes a blood meal from an infected rodent, stomach enzymes cause a clot to form, blocking the flea's proventricularis. At its next attempt to feed, unable to swallow due to the blockage, the flea regurgitates plague bacilli into the bite wound.

      http://www.emedicine.com/ped/topic1819.htm

      Not sure if you can catch/spread the plague by eating an infected corpse. Seems unlikely this would move through the food chain.

      --

      There is much cruelty in the universe, John.
      Yeah, we seem to have the tour map.

  4. well thats good by JeanBaptiste · · Score: 5, Funny

    "'You have more security at a McDonald's than at some of these facilities.'"

    Given what they serve at McDonalds, thats probably a good thing. I'd rather take my chances with the mice.

  5. Easy Solution Then... by DaedalusLogic · · Score: 5, Funny

    Just build a McDonald's at each of these facilities... Boom! You have your security, and the burger joint has a fresh supply of ingredients on hand.

  6. What's the big deal? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    We're talking about New Jersey. I could understand being concerned if it was somewhere else, but New Jersey? This probably improves the environment and air quality there.

    1. Re:What's the big deal? by Lenins_beard · · Score: 5, Funny

      Hey. Be nice. I have relatives incarcerated there.

  7. Yot are we gonna do tonight, Brain? by wowbagger · · Score: 5, Funny

    Yot are we gonna do tonight, Brain? Try to take over the world?

    No, Pinky. We are going to try to find a pharmacy and cure this <hack> damn cough!

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  8. McDonalds security is no laughing matter by Chairboy · · Score: 5, Funny

    McDonalds security is no laughing matter.

    Consider, for example, the international fugitive known as the "Hamburglar".

  9. Re:Deadly? by allism · · Score: 5, Informative

    It's not as dangerous as you might think - yersinia pestis has not been eradicated by any means. There are still problems with it in rodent populations - for instance, Boulder County, CO has had a problem with it just this summer in the groundhog population.

    The route of transmission to humans is

    rodent > flea > human

    (if it turns into pneumonia in a human it can be passed human to human, otherwise not).

    Since fleas aren't nearly the problem they were in the middle ages, and we don't have travelers trekking on foot (and picking up fleas) through areas that have a high incidence of yersinia pestis in the rodent population, it just doesn't spread as quickly as it used to. There still end up being a few cases of bubonic plague every year in the US, but it doesn't have the opportunity to spread the way it used to.

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    Denver Isuzu Suzuki
  10. Re:You don't know the half of it by WillAdams · · Score: 5, Informative

    Actually, the CDC has already looked into this, running in at least one team of state troopers led by a scientist with bolt cutters to destroy all of the hazardous samples &c. (all possible scientific value was lost when the power failed allowing samples to thaw &c.)

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050914/ap_on_he_me/ka trina_lost_research

    Apparently all other sites were relatively undamaged and were still secure.

    William

    --
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