#i'm making a dude based off the zombie ant fungus

[minimoll7]

Websites that make you pay so you can read articles is really dumb and stupid if I’m going to be honest here

[twistedwonderlandshenanigans]

World Building for Infection/Apocalypse AUS - A General Guide

okay so this isn't DIRECTLY related to TWST but I have a project that's been in the works for a while that I might MIGHT launch in January. I also can't claim that this information is 100% correct bc I largely did it off the top of my head (AS someone who is going to school to become a microbiologist/related fields) ANYWAYS enjoy. maybe. idk. I got disproportionately mad one day about some au that was switching between 'virus' and something else I can't even remember and went on a rant on discord that I'm just posting here

If anybody ever wants to write an infection au with science as a base.

Putting it under the cut in case it makes anybody uncomfy OTL (also mentions of cannibalism in the "Prion" section)

Bacteria are usually NOT the issue. Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria, which then can infect us. There ARE some pathogenic bacteria without viruses. They are treated with antibiotics based on their cell morphology and structure. Most of the time, you can wait out a bacteriological infection, such as the common cold.

Symptoms can show up from anywhere between 12 hours to 6 weeks depending on what it is.

Bacteria are unlikely to be the cause of a zombie apocalypse, however vaccines against bacterial infections ARE possible, (but unlikely due to most bacterial infections simply "running their course"), and are easier to develop for bacteria rather than viruses. -------------------------------

Viruses are delivered in protein-covered capsules that interact with other cells in order to "open" it and release the infectious RNA into the healthy cell. (Essentially, it's a little dude with a hat that cells open a door to. Once they let the little dude in, little dude takes over and acts like an overbearing mother in law, rearranging everything until it's how IT likes it, and proceeds to brag about it to neighbours, making it a trend/passing it on.)

It's the protein cap/envelope that we develop vaccines for, at least in most cases.

If you want it to cause zombie-like attributes in terms of brain function, Encephalitis is a good place to start your research. (Viral infection of the brain that causes swelling and eventual cell death).

Symptoms typically become apparent within 2 days of infection.

If an apocalypse starts because of a virus, a vaccine WOULD be possible/likely. ANTIBIOTICS HAVE NO EFFECT ON VIRUSES. ------------------------

Parasites are typically found in the intestines, as they want to leech off of the nutrients you are supposed to be getting. (That being said, tapeworm has been recorded as having been found in the brain once or twice. Brother How. I don't know). That being said, being infected with that type of parasite would make you very hungry and very dehydrated, but these type are hard to pass on from person, unless you made it kind of like Alien where a big fucken worm goes into one person, lays eggs, those hatch and explode and spread to other people.

You could also draw inspiration from the creatures that cause Swimmer's Itch or Scabies, which infect the skin instead. VERY easy to spread, fairly easy to treat. Can be treated with something as simple as cold water, or medicated creams.

Not likely to cause an actual apocalypse, but a lot of fun creative freedom with these bitches.

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Fungi can be used for a fun twist. MOST modern day zombie movies are inspired by the Ophiocordyceps unilateralis - the zombie-ant fungus. In a more general sense, fungal infections of the lungs are :sparkles: scary :sparkles:. Usually molds are inhaled. Molds can't thrive inside the body "as is", so they undergo transformation to essentially become a type of yeast. This means symptoms can take a WHILE to show up - anywhere from about three days to THREE MONTHS. Fungal infections also often resemble bacterial infections, making them more difficult to diagnose. The longer it's left to sporulate, the more it will target areas of the body - including the brain, the meninges, your bones, your joints, etc. If it reaches your brain, it can no longer be cured, but it can be managed with antifungal drugs.

However, fungal infections are not typically contagious, which is where the zombie ant fungus explains how to spread it ^^

The zombie ant fungus spores are inhaled, and instead of turning into a yeast, it grows out of the ants head ^^ After about seven days, it gives the ant a signal to position itself over it's colony, so when the mushroom releases it's spores, it has a myriad of hosts to infect!

Fungal infections would have no vaccine, and antibiotics would not work.. An Anti-fungal medication would have to be developed and administered early enough in contraction to prevent any serious long lasting effects.

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Prions are infectious proteins. They have no cap/envelope. Prions cause holes to form in the central nervous system, impairing judgement, coordination, etc. etc. They are very slow forming, as they often take years to develop. In cows they are the result of old age, in sheep, they are the result of genetic predisposition, in humans it was because of cannibalism! We don't know why they started. Prion infections occur when someone consumes infectious matter, which is limited to the CNS, or when contaminated surgical tools are used.

There is no cure or preventative measures for prion diseases.

Prions can only die if they are incinerated or in chemicals that are WAY too expensive for me to pronounce.

Obviously in an au, their development could be sped up.

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Honourable Mention: Viroids Viroids affect plants specifically as a short strand of circular RNA that is capable of self replicating. Unlike viruses, they have no protein cap or envelope, meaning they're susceptible to destruction and mutation from other genes. However, they cause major deformation as well as impeding functions of other genes in the plant. If it were to mutate to affect humans, it would likely contort us and affect our ability to metabolize food.

--------------------- :P I just wanted to feel like I did something this week, even though this is technically from like. 2 weeks ago. oh well