Russian Researcher Dead, 200 Under Observation After Lab Leak

A 28-year-old employee of a Russian anti-plague laboratory has died after being treated for severe pneumonia, and health officials in Siberia placed nearly 200 people who may have had contact with her under medical observation.

The employee, identified in Russian media as Darya Shipilova, worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute of Siberia and the Far East in Shelekhov, near Irkutsk. Reports cited by outlets including The Moscow Times said she was hospitalized in Shelekhov on or about September 29, placed on a ventilator, and died on October 1.

Russia’s public-health agency, Rospotrebnadzor, later said she had been diagnosed with “pneumonia of unknown etiology.” Alexei Tsydenov, head of the neighboring republic of Buryatia, said she had died “possibly from the plague,” while adding that there were no plague outbreaks in Buryatia and that the case was unrelated to his region.

Regional officials had earlier described a “suspected case of a particularly dangerous infection.” Irkutsk Governor Igor Kobzev said an “extraordinary” meeting of the regional anti-epidemic commission was held with Russia’s chief state sanitary doctor.

“All identified contact persons have been placed under medical observation. As of today, the contacts show no signs of illness, and their laboratory test results are negative,” Kobzev said on October 2. He later said the employee had contracted “pneumonia of unknown origin” and that “no microorganisms linked to the employee’s professional duties were detected in samples taken from the patient.”

A commission that examined the institute reported that no accidents involving pathogenic microorganisms had occurred and that no staff members were showing symptoms of an infectious disease. Investigators also reviewed accounts of a laboratory incident and a possible trip abroad and said they found no supporting evidence for either.

That official account sits alongside online claims that the death followed a broken test tube containing live plague bacteria. Authorities have not confirmed those claims, and expanded testing of the patient’s samples found no microorganisms associated with her work, according to the agency.

Among contacts under observation, tests identified two cases of COVID-19 and two of rhinovirus, with no other infectious pathogens reported. Regional outlet Lyudi Baikala said at least 197 possible contacts were identified, and that 189 of them were hospitalized for observation.

The Shelekhov district hospital, where she was treated, was placed under quarantine. Separate reports described quarantine measures at additional facilities in Irkutsk, including several city hospitals, a children’s hospital, and at least one maternity hospital. Planned public events in Irkutsk were canceled, and Russian media said a criminal investigation into possible sanitary violations was opened.