More than a virus

ScumLord

I've always thought a virus probably wouldn't be enough to to turn people into a Zombie (living dead). It could cause some of the effects but probably not all, Bacteria could possibly get closer to an all out Zombie while parasitic organisms could easily turn someone into a Zombie but how do they spread?

I've been trying to find examples of viruses/ bacteria/parasites working together to infect a host for their own benefit I'm sure I came across something similar before. Does anyone know of any examples?

It's not impossible that this could happen, there are probably millions of bacteria working in harmony inside every person but they keep the person alive.

dammitjanet

ScumLord wrote: »

I've been trying to find examples of viruses/ bacteria/parasites working together to infect a host for their own benefit I'm sure I came across something similar before. Does anyone know of any examples?

......are you planning to start the zombie apocalypse... cause thats it sounds like.... if people start banging on my door looking for brains i'm going straight to you!!:D

Mahatma coat

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cymothoa_exigua

I was thinkin of somethin like this, on ly instead of fish tongue its Human brain

unreggd

Mahatma coat wrote: »

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cymothoa_exigua

I was thinkin of somethin like this, on ly instead of fish tongue its Human brain

That's fooked up!

Ginja Ninja

Mahatma coat wrote: »

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cymothoa_exigua

I was thinkin of somethin like this, on ly instead of fish tongue its Human brain

makes me think of Alien,you know where the tongue has a mouth as well.

It could happen in a brain version of that,but the parasite would have a limited lifespan[due to size of the skull and you know,the brain actually keeping you alive]

Brainslugs are going to happen soon people

ScumLord

dammitjanet wrote: »

......are you planning to start the zombie apocalypse...

Yes, no. Yes that's what I mean no of course, I wouldn't be doing such a thing. All that toxic waste in my back garden is for em making perfume and cleaning out empty bottles.

Parasites wouldn't be spread to easily though. Whatever it is needed control the host, all it needs to do is encourage behaviour that will make the host come into contact with other people. Make the person desperate for human contact, that wouldn't be a hard thing to invoke in such a social animal, once we get sick we run straight for help.

Bacteria could create and excrete forms of drugs to create these imballences in the brain as far as I'm aware. Before the host dies making them permanent. I don't think viruses can create chemicals to change the behaviour of the host.

gigawatt

well the malaria bug infects and then makes mosquitos change their feeding patterns to maximise spreading of said bug, or theres another one that you can catch off cats... forget the name of it ......that can make you dozy and research shows that it can make you do stupid things like walk out in front of cars when it wants to spread to other organisms by them munching on your rotten corpse.... good luck with developing that zombie parasite, but you might make more money inventing baldness cures or weight loss tablets :pac::pac::pac:

Doctor DooM

Well, the aids virus makes it much easier for any other pathogen to attack the human body... any immuno deficiency disease does.

.SONIC.

^^^ so zombies have aids???

well this has most definately solved the sex with a zombie idea!!!

Ginja Ninja

.SONIC. wrote: »

^^^ so zombies have aids???

well this has most definately solved the sex with a zombie idea!!!

Zombie Aids,oh noes!!

one thing I'd like to put in,bacteria and viruses aren't sentient,they aren't out to cause any sort of effect in anything,they exist simply to survive [or not in the case of some viruses] and there are very few conditions with symptoms as varied as zombie-ness that are infectious enough to happen in more than a minute amount of people[i.e less than 0.1%]

SmileyPaul

the whole parasite replacing organs is a pretty cool idea, not only could it be dreadfully treacherous to the human raceif something like this was to develop properly, but if we were to research it enough would we be able to use it for our own good? replacing dmaged organs with these. would make the whole lack of organs in this country disapear pretty sharpishly :P


anyways on topic:
Im sure it would take many years for something like this exact parasitic/virus double team to come into effect,
Im sure a mixture of this organism and... I dont know... Cordyceps (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuKjBIBBAL8P)

course if the parasite is spreading like the subject in britain shows then we could be expecting it sooner then we thought