Infectious Diseases, Deformed Mice Found In Illegal CA Lab: Officials

REEDLEY, CA — An illegal lab discovered inside a warehouse in central California has left officials scrambling after dead rodents and at least 20 infectious diseases were found on the premises, according to authorities.

Numerous building and code violations were found during an inspection in March at 1.73-acre property at 850 I St. in Reedley, but that was just the beginning, according to court documents.

People working at the property — occupied by a tenant called Prestige Biotech Inc. — told a code enforcement officer that they were making pregnancy and coronavirus tests, but there was no record of approval on file with the city, documents said.

A person affiliated with the site told officials that the hundreds of laboratory mice were genetically engineered to catch and carry the coronavirus, according to court records, which stated the tenant never provided proof of clearance from state or federal agencies.

The nearly 1,000 mice were stored in overcrowded and unsanitary cages, and most have since been euthanized, although almost 200 of them were already dead, court documents said, noting many of the mice were injured or deformed.

“The Health Officer and Fresno County Public Health staff are gravely concerned about the storage of potentially infectious bacterial, viral, and parasitic agents present at the Property and the health and safety risk to the public by these infectious agents,” authorities said in court documents.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported diseases were present at the site, including, among others: HIV, dengue, herpes, hepatitis B and C, chlamydia, E. coli, tuberculosis, malaria, streptococcus, RSV, rubella and COVID-19, according to legal records.

The city involved county, state and federal authorities in its response, court documents said, including the FBI.

Fresno County has since abated the biological hazards, but, as of mid-July, hazards and nuisances posing threats to health and safety remained, leading officials to seek a second abatement order.

The saga began in December, when a code enforcement officer saw a garden hose running through the property, according to KFSN, which attempted unsuccessfully to contact the company’s owners.