2 Chinese nationals charged with smuggling 'dangerous' 'pathogen' into US: DOJ

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Source: ABC News

Two Chinese nationals have been charged with allegedly smuggling into the U.S. a fungus called "Fusarium graminearum, which scientific literature classifies as a potential agroterrorism weapon," the Justice Department said Tuesday.

Yunqing Jian, 33, and Zunyong Liu, 34, citizens of the People’s Republic of China, were allegedly receiving Chinese government funding for their research, some of which at the University of Michigan, officials said.

"The complaint also alleges that Jian’s electronics contain information describing her membership in and loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party. It is further alleged that Jian’s boyfriend, Liu, works at a Chinese university where he conducts research on the same pathogen and that he first lied but then admitted to smuggling Fusarium graminearum into America -- through the Detroit Metropolitan Airport -- so that he could conduct research on it at the laboratory at the University of Michigan where his girlfriend, Jian, worked," according to a DOJ press release.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement that the Justice Department "“has no higher mission than keeping the American people safe and protecting our nation from hostile foreign actors who would do us harm."

Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/2-chinese-nationals-charged-smuggling-165600612.html

[SheltieLover]

1. Kick

[Dem2theMax]

2. DOJ needs to protect us from hostile domestic actors who ARE doing us harm.

[Retrograde]

3. If this is true, it is very serious

The genus Fusarium contains a number of organisms that can devastate food crops. As researchers, they should know this and should know how potentially dangerous pathogens should be handled.

Bondi's still IMHO a waste of carbon - and I don't see why membership in the Chinese Communist Party is relevant - but as for the smuggling her department's in the right this time.

[Warpy]

4. Ever grow heirloom tomatoes? Fusarium wilt is a thing, yo

especially when your garden is a small one and you don't have a hell of a lot of room for crop rotation.

I'd have to have more information on this one.

[Mike 03]

5. Link to a PubMed article with more info on Human fusariosis

Human fusariosis: An emerging infection that is difficult to treat

Abstract

Fusarium spp. has been associated with a broad spectrum of emerging infections collectively termed fusariosis. This review includes articles published between 2005 and 2018 that describe the characteristics, clinical management, incidence, and emergence of these fungal infections. Fusarium solani and F. oxysporum are globally distributed and represent the most common complexes. Few therapeutic options exist due to intrinsic resistance, especially for the treatment of invasive fusariosis. Therefore, the use of drug combinations could be an important alternative for systemic antifungal resistance. Increase in the number of case reports on invasive fusariosis between 2005 and 2018 is evidence of the emergence of this fungal infection.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7269539/#:~:text=Keratitis%20is%20one%20of%20the,%2D60%20%25%20of%20patients%2019%20.

This medical article is fairly long but really interesting.