![Chinese researchers accused of smuggling pathogen threatening US agricultural security [World News]](https://foodcom.pl/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/News-world_8-1520x760.png "Chinese researchers accused of smuggling pathogen threatening US agricultural security [World News]")
- Two Chinese scientists have been charged with smuggling a dangerous biological pathogen into the US for unauthorized research.
- The smuggled fungus, Fusarium graminearum, can be used as an agroterrorist weapon and causes billions of dollars in damage to agriculture worldwide.
- The FBI has deemed the defendants’ actions a direct threat to US public and food safety.
- The case highlights the need for stricter controls on the movement of biological materials and the protection of the agri-food sector from bioterrorist threats.
Chinese scientists charged with smuggling dangerous pathogen into US
US federal authorities have charged two Chinese nationals with allegedly smuggling a dangerous biological pathogen, the fungus Fusarium graminearum, into the US. The pathogen, known for causing ‘head blight’ disease in cereals, has been classified in the scientific literature as a potential agro-terrorist weapon, responsible for billions of dollars of damage to the agricultural sector worldwide.
Zunyong Liu, a 34-year-old researcher from China, brought the fungus to the US in July 2024 while visiting his partner, Yunqing Jian, employed at a University of Michigan laboratory. According to the FBI, the purpose of the smuggling was to conduct unauthorised laboratory research on the pathogen. The couple was charged with smuggling, conspiracy, making false statements and visa fraud, among other charges.
Potential threat to the agri-food sector
Fusarium graminearum is particularly dangerous to cereal crops – its presence can cause severe yield losses and contamination of food with mycotoxins that pose a risk to humans and animals. The introduction of such an organism into the biological cycle in the US poses an immediate risk to food security.
FBI officials stressed that the defendants’ actions could have had a real impact on public and economic security. This case highlights the growing need to control the circulation of biological materials and to protect the agricultural sector from threats of a biological nature.
