Tuberculosis Vials Disappear from University

There has been a security breach at the University of Newcastle central coast campus, with the disappearance of two bottles containing the tuberculosis (TB) bacterium.

There has been a security breach at the University of Newcastle central coast campus, with the disappearance of two bottles containing the tuberculosis (TB) bacterium.The university says vials were locked in a refrigerated cabinet and were part of an approved research project.They were discovered missing several days ago.Police and the health authorities have been notified and a full investigation is underway.The lab area has been closed and a microbiology professor from Sydney is carrying out a risk assessment of the site.The university says the TB bacterium was stored in a form that poses little risk to human health even if the bottle was damaged.(Source: ABC Health News, Feb 2004)