Name of Virus- ZK-7 (or Ziegler's Syndrome)
Report I- Transmission
Transmission: 5. The virus can sustain itself in any environment by going dormant, able to survive in a viable form for centuries, even in space. The spores of ZK-7 also have the ability to transmit themselves via air, water, saliva, and blood, enabling it to gain multiple vectors to attack a target population. The physical size of the spores are also extremely useful, allowing them to bypass most military grade NBC filters, as well as penetrate most silicon rubber facemasks. Advise using mineral based filters and polyurethane seals.
Infectious Level: 4. ZK-7 has an incredibly high infection rate, somewhere in the upper ninety-eight percentile. Only certain, currently unknown genetic factors, based on by both parents, can prevent full infection. However, this means that the infectee will only be asymptomatic, and still be able to infect nearby creatures with the virus. It is currently unknown if there is any sort of immunity to ZK-7, although this can be assumed as simulations have shown that there may be as large as a 0.1% immunity percentage among humans.
Lethality: 0, ZK-7 is rarely lethal, almost never, only in less than 0.001% of infected test subjects were any hazardous or malformed mutations noticed. To the untrained eye, the infected does appear to die, but medical tests have shown that this is simply a prolonged coma while the virus begins to mature a new form within the host body, using it as a cocoon of sorts, with the outer flesh acting as the cocoon walls.
Revived Time Period: 3. Individuals infected with Ziegler's Syndrome will go about their day normally, spreading spores as they do so. When the incubation period passes, usually after two or three days, the host will seek a dark, secluded area; fit for the virus to gestate and grow without outside interference. While ZK-7 takes time to mutate the host body, sometimes up to four days, it usually finishes in one half-one and a half days when the host body bursts and the spawn is released.
In much rarer cases, the host may simply burst open suddenly to unleash his new form upon the hapless, although this appears to be based on the mental will power of the individual to resist the temptation to sleep or to remove himself from society, rather than any sort of physiological abnormality.
Report II- Combating the Infected
Speed- 3. ZK-7 creatures are only slightly faster than their human counterparts, although their real speed lies in endurance. They are able to sprint for minutes at a time, owing to their highly evolved respiratory system and powerful muscles. They are also able to jump higher and farther than humans.
Durability- 4, Ziegler's Syndrome greatly enhances the host's durability through the addition of an extremely thick, armoured exoskeleton. This carapace is highly bullet resistant, and allows the ZK-7 infected to land from normally perilous heights without injury. The highest point that a ZK-7 creature has been observed to land without injury is roughly around 25 feet, although estimates place the maximum at somewhere 40 feet. Advise using 7.62 NATO M993 AP, or M995 AP ammunition.
Senses- 3. The infected tend to have above average taste and sense of touch, however their true abilities lie in eyesight, with an almost non-existent sense of smell. Ziegler's Syndrome heavily affects the ocular lens, increasing eyesight to 20/10 regardless of previous visual acuity. This gives the creature a better ability to recognise threats and spot potential prey at longer distances, however it's lack of a sense of smell makes hiding within objects a much more viable option.
Strength- 2. ZK-7 marginally enhances a human being's strength, with most of the power coming from increased leverage through rearrangement of the skeletal arm structure rather than increase of muscle mass, and the addition of large, retractable claws. Thsi allows the creature to tear through car doors (although they are unable to tear them off), and rip through wooden barrels and doors. Overall, the ZK-7 creature probably has less muscle mass than an average human being, but makes up for it only slightly through modification of limbs.
Report III- Long-Term Impact
Detoriation- 4. Those infected do not deteriorate in a normal sense of rotting, but their increased leg muscle mass and overall lack of fat demands a high protein, high carb diet. This is accomplished through the devouring of humans, and grains, grass, or other plants, although they can be sustained for a rather long period of time (forty eight months, give or take a few weeks) on a diet of simply raw protein. Eventually, however, they will become more lethargic and eventually die of malnutrition.
Disposal- 2. ZK-7 corpses can be disposed of as easily as human corpses, although there is a high chance of spores surviving and being distributed to regions further away through smoke and wind current. Advise using fully enclosed, airtight cremation chambers with mineral-based smoke filters.
Impact on Wildlife- 1. ZK-7 creatures primarily hunt human beings, in an almost instinctual fashion. They will, however, kill animals that threaten them, or if they are starved of food. This appears to be only in an extreme desperate and food scarce scenario, however, and is not normal behaviour of the infected. Overall, they will ignore all non-hostile, non-human animals.
Viral Remains- 5. ZK-7 can remain alive and viable for centuries, in almost any environment, and thus even dead bodies are still hazardous through water, airborne, blood, and saliva based transmission. Spores can remain alive in temperatures in upwards of 220 C.
