Mushroom with “agrotheric weapon” potential, illegally introduced in the US by Chinese researchers. Causes vomiting, liver lesions and breeding defects
Two Chinese scientists have been accused of illegally introduced a toxic fungus that they intended to investigate at an American university, the Department of Justice said.
The fungus was illegally introduced into the US in the backpack of a Chinese photo scientist: X
Yunqing Jian, 33, and Zunyong Liu, 34, are “accused of conspiracy, smuggling, false statements and visa fraud“, Said on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, the prosecutor's office in the Eastern District of Michigan state in a statement, according to The Guardian.
The Department of Justice has announced that the two have conspired to illegally introduce in the United States a fungus called Fusarium Graminearum, which causes “the plague of the head ”a disease of wheat, barley, corn and rice.
The fungus is classified as a “Potential agroterist weapon”said FBI, and causes billions of dollars every year. This causes vomiting, liver lesions and breeding defects in humans and animals, he said.
Jian appeared in court and returned to prison on Thursday, waiting for a hearing for bail. A lawyer who was only designated for his first appearance refused to comment on the case.
According to the cited publication, in July 2024, Liu was refused to Detroit airport and sent back to China after changing his story during an interrogation of the red plant material discovered in his backpack, said FBI.
“He claimed that he knew nothing about samples, but later said he was planning to use the research material in a Laboratory of the University of Michigan, where Jian worked and where he had previously worked LiU ”, said FBI.
According to the complaint, Jian and Liu, her friend, had previously conducted research on the fungus in China.
FBI said that the authorities found on Liu's phone a scientific article entitled “Plant-Pathogen Warfare Under Changing Climate Conditions” (“The war between plants and pathogens in changing climatic conditions”).
The messages between the two in 2024 suggest that Jian was already dealing with “Fusarium Graminearum” at the campus laboratory before Liu was caught at Detroit airport, FBI said. The university has no federal authorizations to deal with it.
The US does not have an extradition treaty with China, which makes Liu's arrest unless it returns.
Prosecutor: The most serious national security issues
American prosecutor Jerome Gorgon JR described mushroom smuggling in the United States as a concern for “national security ” and emphasized Jian's belonging to the Chinese Communist Party.
“The alleged actions of these Chinese citizens, including a loyal member of the Chinese Communist Party, are the most serious national security issues. These two foreigners were accused of smuggling a fungus that was described as a potential agroterist weapon in the heart of America, where they seemed to use a Laboratory to use a Laboratory of the University”said Gorgon.
