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This virus outbreak in West Germany affected 31 people, including lab workers exposed to African green monkeys. Seven died from Marburg hemorrhagic fever, marking one of the first known outbreaks.
Physician William Brebner died after being bitten by a rhesus monkey, leading to the identification of the B virus in his memory.
Australian bacteriologist Dora Lush tragically pricked her finger with a needle containing scrub typhus while working on a vaccine, ultimately succumbing to the infection.
A laboratory worker contracted glanders from Burkholderia mallei during an autopsy on an inoculated guinea pig. Despite an open wound on her finger, she survived.
Foot-and-mouth disease virus escaped European labs 13 times, causing outbreaks and showcasing biosafety vulnerabilities in vaccine production.
The 1966 smallpox outbreak in the UK started with Tony McLennan, a photographer at Birmingham Medical School, which housed a smallpox lab. Twelve years later, a fatal outbreak began similarly.
A lab worker accidentally pricked themselves with an Ebola-contaminated needle, resulting in an infection.
A 23-year-old lab assistant at the London School of Hygiene contracted smallpox while observing virus harvesting. She infected two visitors, both of whom died, and a nurse, who survived.
In 1979, anthrax spores were accidentally released from a Soviet military facility near Sverdlovsk, causing around 100 deaths. The incident, sometimes called "biological Chernobyl," was linked to lab contamination.
In 1977, the H1N1 influenza virus reappeared in the Soviet Union and China. Some virologists speculated it escaped from a lab, while others believed it resulted from vaccine challenge trials.
A field test at a Soviet bioweapons facility caused a smallpox outbreak, infecting 10 and killing three. It was publicly revealed only decades later.
Between 1963 and 1977, the Virus Research Laboratory in Ibadan, Nigeria, saw infections with Chikungunya, Dugbe, Wesselsbron, Dengue, and
Rift valley virus, with some staff members developing antibodies without symptoms.
The 1978 smallpox outbreak in the UK was caused by accidental exposure to a strain grown at the University of Birmingham. Janet Parker, infected, became the last person to die from smallpox in the UK.
A doctoral student at Singapore General Hospital contracted SARS during unsafe practices in a lab undergoing renovations.
In September 2001, anthrax-laced letters sent to media offices and senators killed five and infected 17. In 2008, Bruce Ivins was identified as the sole culprit based on DNA evidence.
In 1988, researcher Nikolai Ustinov was fatally infected with the Marburg virus after accidentally pricking himself with a syringe used for guinea pig inoculation.
Another Marburg virus outbreak in Kol'tsovo resulted in the death of a laboratory worker.
The 1957 H2N2 influenza strain, included in testing kits sent to over 5,000 labs across 18 countries, was deemed a major risk by Klaus Stohr, WHO influenza chief, due to its poor selection and exposure.
A researcher at Russia's VECTOR biological weapons facility died after accidentally pricking herself with a needle contaminated with the Ebola virus.
A German researcher was accidentally exposed to Ebola in a high-security lab. Luckily, they survived the incident.
An accident at Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute infected 65 workers with brucellosis. By November 2020, over 10,000 residents were infected due to bacteria-laden aerosols from improperly sterilized biopharmaceutical waste.
The UK Animal and Plant Health Agency mistakenly sent out live anthrax samples. Its Surrey lab faced a Crown Prohibition Notice, closing it until safety improvements were implemented.
A Milwaukee researcher accidentally punctured a gloved hand with an H5N1-loaded needle, one of four reportable dermal puncture incidents at the Center for Infectious Disease Research.
In November 2021, a lab worker in Taipei contracted COVID-19, with the virus sequence matching a Delta variant from the lab. This raised suspicions of the first COVID-19 lab leak. No contacts tested positive.
In 2023, 323 virus vials, including Hendra and Lyssavirus, went missing from Queensland, Australia. Authorities launched an investigation, ensuring no community risk, and aimed to strengthen biosecurity measures.
Sources: (Fox News) (News-Medical) (World Health Organization)
Six vials of viable smallpox from the 1950s were discovered in a Food and Drug Administration-managed room on the campus of the National Institutes of Health, raising biosafety concerns.
A researcher was accidentally infected with the Zika virus during a lab experiment at the University of Pittsburgh.
The 2007 UK foot-and-mouth disease outbreak occurred when a virus leaked from the Pirbright Institute, spreading to nearby farms and resulting in over 2,000 animals being culled to contain infections.
Cross contamination caused the first US lab acquired cowpox infection in a worker studying non-orthopoxvirus, highlighting a rare case of lab related transmission.
In November 2022, routine wastewater surveillance at a vaccine facility in Utrecht, Netherlands, detected wild poliovirus type 3. An employee was infected, but the source remains unclear despite safety measures.
Biosecurity incidents have shaped the course of public health, research protocols, and global safety standards throughout history. From accidental releases of deadly pathogens to missing virus samples, these events highlight the critical importance of stringent laboratory practices and oversight. By examining these biosecurity incidents, we can better understand the challenges of safeguarding against biological threats in an increasingly interconnected world.
Click on to discover big incidents that breached biosecurity.
Major biosecurity incidents throughout history
These biosecurity incidents impacted global standards
HEALTH Infections
Biosecurity incidents have shaped the course of public health, research protocols, and global safety standards throughout history. From accidental releases of deadly pathogens to missing virus samples, these events highlight the critical importance of stringent laboratory practices and oversight. By examining these biosecurity incidents, we can better understand the challenges of safeguarding against biological threats in an increasingly interconnected world.
Click on to discover big incidents that breached biosecurity.