Virology thread

[Slobozhanshchyna]

What is up, NS community?

I see there's a zombie pandemic going on. Let's get into the roots of it, shall we?

What is the main cause of a zombie pandemic? You got it right. A virus. Viruses are great, aren't they? Such potential in such a simple yet lovely form. But, contrary to popular belief, no virus, bacteria, prion, viroid or any other type of pathogen can turn a human into a zombie.

Ones that are not into virology might say rabies might cause severe behavioral abnormalities. Those interested in rabies pathogenesis might find This article interesting.

Anyway, in all cases of a zombie plague the pathogen(a virus in our case) targets the brain, resulting in rather severe meningitis or encephalitis. Rabies isn't the only one that does this though. Henipaviruses, Arboviruses and LCMV do that too, sometimes causing much more severe illness. Those are the classic causes of viral encephalitis(according to my textbook), though ones interested can find more intel using open-acess articles and research papers which are relatively easy to find.

So, who's interested? Who has questions?

[Soldati Senza Confini]

This is all great, however, iirc, are there any viruses that make sufferers display zombie-like behaviors? What I mean by that is, is there any virus which makes the sufferer's cognitive processes disappear? What's its pathobiological properties?

[The Serbian Empire]

I have found the cure lies within the vampires found in mountainous areas of the Serbian Empire. A vaccine was formed at the University of Beograd and was able to be mass produced in large enough amounts to rival the Liberty Ship project of the US in WWII.

[Slobozhanshchyna]

This is all great, however, iirc, are there any viruses that make sufferers display zombie-like behaviors? What I mean by that is, is there any virus which makes the sufferer's cognitive processes disappear? What's its pathobiological properties?

Our behavior is determined by our hyppocampus, so some changes will occur if the virus makes its way there. Such processes happen when someone gets infected with rabies but the victims don't show any sign of display zombie-like behavior.

[Slobozhanshchyna]

I have found the cure lies within the vampires found in mountainous areas of the Serbian Empire. A vaccine was formed at the University of Beograd and was able to be mass produced in large enough amounts to rival the Liberty Ship project of the US in WWII.

Wrong thread?

[Ardavia]

This is all great, however, iirc, are there any viruses that make sufferers display zombie-like behaviors? What I mean by that is, is there any virus which makes the sufferer's cognitive processes disappear? What's its pathobiological properties?

Our behavior is determined by our hyppocampus, so some changes will occur if the virus makes its way there. Such processes happen when someone gets infected with rabies but the victims don't show any sign of display zombie-like behavior.

Well, a possible virus that could affect the hippocampus like this could be something like the Zombieland version, a mutated form of Mad Cow Disease that turns people into flesh-eating zombies. Not sure how it would work, seeing as prions really can't mutate iirc.

[Slobozhanshchyna]

Our behavior is determined by our hyppocampus, so some changes will occur if the virus makes its way there. Such processes happen when someone gets infected with rabies but the victims don't show any sign of display zombie-like behavior.

Well, a possible virus that could affect the hippocampus like this could be something like the Zombieland version, a mutated form of Mad Cow Disease that turns people into flesh-eating zombies. Not sure how it would work, seeing as prions really can't mutate iirc.

Mutated form of Mad Cow Disease that turns people into flesh-eating zombies? Impossible. And even though prions don't mutate(obvious?) they still can cause a lot of havoc, we're talking about encephalitis now, not about mutations.

[Uiiop]

How accurate would Solanum, Green flu, and the rage virus be in portraying a possible zombie virus.
I take it that they aren't probably too realistic but i'm interested in seeing what ways they fail to be.

[Ardavia]

Well, a possible virus that could affect the hippocampus like this could be something like the Zombieland version, a mutated form of Mad Cow Disease that turns people into flesh-eating zombies. Not sure how it would work, seeing as prions really can't mutate iirc.

Mutated form of Mad Cow Disease that turns people into flesh-eating zombies? Impossible. And even though prions don't mutate(obvious?) they still can cause a lot of havoc, we're talking about encephalitis now, not about mutations.

They don't die, just become completely mindless predators.

[Slobozhanshchyna]

How accurate would Solanum, Green flu, and the rage virus be in portraying a possible zombie virus.
I take it that they aren't probably too realistic but i'm interested in seeing what ways they fail to be.

Rage - any zombie virus causes encephalitis(i.e. inflammarion of the brain). Victims of severe encephalitis usually fall in a coma instead of running around and biting people. Think about it on the most basic level - the organism's already busy with defending from the virus leaving no possibility for any complex cerebral activity regarding the severity of the disease.

Green flu - where did you see a rabies victim mutate into a Bommer or a Smoker?

Solanum - there is no way to reanimate the brain once after the death of the patient due to the immediate loss of viral cerebral functions.

[Slobozhanshchyna]

Mutated form of Mad Cow Disease that turns people into flesh-eating zombies? Impossible. And even though prions don't mutate(obvious?) they still can cause a lot of havoc, we're talking about encephalitis now, not about mutations.

They don't die, just become completely mindless predators.

Impossible. You can't tell a virus to stop killing cells in order to preserve tbehavioral patterns. On the biting aspect, look for my above post.

[Luxanna Crownguard]

I have found the cure lies within the vampires found in mountainous areas of the Serbian Empire. A vaccine was formed at the University of Beograd and was able to be mass produced in large enough amounts to rival the Liberty Ship project of the US in WWII.

Wrong thread?

Well, the vaccine has eliminated all the zombies. I suspect the origins of the zombies to be from bats and related to rabies. It's called the lyssavirus.

[Slobozhanshchyna]

Wrong thread?

Well, the vaccine has eliminated all the zombies. I suspect the origins of the zombies to be from bats and related to rabies. It's called the lyssavirus.

Pff. Nice try. There isn't much data on PLV now but I'm sure it causes encephalitis or meningoencephalitis like Rabies, no zombies.