Queensland authorities have launched an urgent investigation into the whereabouts of 323 virus samples missing from a government-run high-tech Virology Laboratory.

The incident, called "a serious breach of biosecurity," happened in 2021, but was only discovered in 2023. The laboratory is involved in researching infectious viruses caught from mosquitoes and ticks.

The lost material includes 100 samples of the deadly Hendra virus, along with lyssavirus and hantavirus. They appear to have gone missing after a freezer storing the samples broke down.

Hendra virus is a zoonotic disease, meaning people can catch it from animals. It got its name after it killed 13 horses and a trainer at racing stables in the Brisbane suburb of Hendra in 1994. It is passed on by fruit bats.

Since then, there have been 66 known outbreaks across Australia, killing four more people and dozens of horses.

The missing materials also include 223 samples of lyssavirus, another potentially deadly disease similar to rabies. It is transmitted through a bite from an infected (rabid) animal.

"It's this part of the transfer of those materials that is causing concern," Nicholls said.

"They were transferred to a functioning freezer without the appropriate paperwork being completed. The materials may have been removed from that secure storage and lost, or otherwise unaccounted for."

"These are all matters that I think the investigation will be able to provide us with information on," he said.

Policies and guidelines on virus storage in the lab will be analysed to see if they were correctly followed.