Lab Worker Dies of Plague After Breaking a Test Tube, Nearly 200 Now Under Observation
Nearly 200 People Under Observation After Irkutsk Lab Worker Dies from Plague
A 27-year-old employee at the Irkutsk anti-plague institute in Siberia died Thursday after accidentally breaking a test tube containing live plague bacteria, according to media reports. She was hospitalized with severe pneumonia and placed on a ventilator. At least 197 contacts have been placed under medical observation, public events have been canceled, and a criminal investigation has been opened. Officials say no contacts have shown symptoms so far.
She reportedly told medical staff that she had accidentally broken a test tube containing live bacteria while collecting samples for testing.
- robmusial
I literally just finished Annie Jacobsen's book 'Biological War: A Scenario' last week where the central plot point is an accidental release of modified form of pneumonic plague from a lab in Siberia. Very coincidental timing, especially since it made me wonder how often labs like these have accidents and we never hear about them because it is cleaned up without issue.
- helsinkiandrew
So breaks a test tube of live bacteria at an “anti-plague institute”, possible infects 100 colleagues, then when she developed plague like symptoms is taken to hospital and possibly infects 100 patients.
I think they need to investigate their safety protocols
> She reportedly told medical staff that she had accidentally broken a test tube containing live bacteria while collecting samples for testing.
> At least 197 people who may have had contact with her were reportedly placed under medical isolation, including more than 100 in hospital wards.
- ungreased0675
Are we fairly confident that these labs do more good than the risk they present to the public? I’m not sure we should be keeping dangerous pathogens around just for giggles and PhD papers. What are examples of how the research done in these places improves public health?
- poilcn
This information that she "broke a tube" is tabloid bs.
Non-tabloid version is that she didn't catch it in the lab, she got ill "while being on a research trip to Buryatia region near the border where sources of the disease were found".
- misja111
Of course we all agree that research on germs that can cause deadly epidemics is safe. Since after all, the Covid outbreak in Wuhan was also not caused by the research lab over there, despite the many reported accidents.
- chasil
Yersinia Pestis is normally treated with doxycycline, cipro, or streptomycin.
Is this a resistant strain?
- r721
>Oct. 2
Here's a newer CNN story from today:
>Researcher at Russian plague laboratory dies of ‘unknown’ infection
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/10/04/europe/russia-laboratory-...
This post from local Irkutsk region media (now in exile) is also interesting:
https://t.me/Baikal_People/16651 (in Russian)
- abnry
How often does this sort of thing happen? I'm guessing more than we think, either because we forget the news stories we read or because it isn't reported.