A biological sample that a Chinese researcher was accused of smuggling into the United States and that prosecutors cast as a "dangerous biological pathogen" is a common type of fungus already widespread in U.

According to the arrest affidavit, the smuggling was done from August 2022 to July 2024, when Liu was arrested. In the first smuggling attempt, Liu instructed Jian to smuggle the fungus in through one of her pairs of boots, an intercepted WeChat conversation showed.