Dangerous biological material was stolen in February this year. The Brazilian university announced this only this week. As investigators emphasize, there was no threat to other people because the stolen samples did not leave the university premises.
The police have already recovered the stolen biological material. The samples were then sent to the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture. The ministry, for now, does not disclose details of what pathogens were found in these samples.
In Brazil, a researcher stole dangerous viruses. The university was silent about it for a long time
The laboratory from which the researcher stole dangerous substances has a third level of biological safety. In this type of facilities, scientists conduct research on pathogens that cause serious diseases and spread through droplets. The most dangerous of them, such as the Ebola virus, require the highest, fourth level of protection.
According to the Brazilian website g1, the stolen material included, among others: H1N1 and H3N2 influenza strains. The samples also contained other pathogens that attack humans and pigs.
The suspect in this case is 36-year-old Soledad Palameta Miller, who specializes in bacteriology, virology and food safety. The woman worked at the Institute of Biology at Unicamp University. Brazilian police detained her. However, the 36-year-old was released from custody and will be held free of charge. The second suspect in the case is the researcher's husband, Michael Edward Miller. The man is a veterinarian and a PhD student at the same university.
