Bioterrorism experts not buying Trump’s FBI administration claims that Chinese students smuggled in fungus for a bioweapon
Bioterrorism experts not buying Trump’s FBI administration claims that Chinese students smuggled in fungus for a bioweapon
Heather Schlitz | Reuters | June 9, 2025
- Fungus already widespread in U.S., poses little food safety risk, experts say
- Experts say it would be ineffective as agricultural terrorism weapon
- Fungus managed by fungicides, resistant wheat strains, and testing
- Jian charged with conspiracy, smuggling, false statements, and visa fraud
- FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office declined to comment
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A biological sample that a Chinese researcher was accused of smuggling into the United States and that prosecutors cast as a “dangerous biological pathogen” is a common type of fungus already widespread in U.S. crop fields that likely poses little risk to food safety, experts said.
On [June 3], U.S. federal prosecutors, opens new tab accused two Chinese researchers of smuggling samples of the fungus Fusarium graminearum into the U.S., describing it as a potential agricultural terrorism weapon.
…
“As a weapon, it would be a pretty ineffective one,” said Jessica Rutkoski, a crop sciences professor, wheat breeder and geneticist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Rutkoski and other researchers said extensive testing for the fungus’ toxin, widespread use of fungicides and the difficulty of intentionally creating an infection with the pathogen would make it a clumsy weapon.
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