Zombie Science 2
Immunity:
As we know, there is a gene that causes it. This is a recessive alelle carried on the X chromosome making one out of three males and one out of nine females [about 22% of the population]resistant to the disease. But how does this function exactly? I theorize that the key here is not an inherant strength, but a weakness. The gene for immunity initially makes you less resistant to the aforementioned super common Bacteria. [The theory about that can be found here http://xajelectric.livejournal.com/3930.html]
Alright, lets back up. That doen't seem possible. How can a vulnerability to something make you stronger against it?
The answer to that: the basic behavior of the human immune system.
Alright, lets back up a little more. Lets say you're an immune survivor. Back up more....... okay, you were just born. Your ftaher is immune, your mother carries at least one copy of the alelle. You have inherited the trait that makes you immune to zombie virus. But there is no zombie virus yet, that'll be years from now. But there IS that happy little harmless bacteria. Except to you, it isn't so harmless. Of the billions of humans who evolved with this bacteria completely unable to touch them, you are the one it can. Its like you're allergic to the most common mictrobe in the world. It can't be avaoided. And when you come in contact with it for the first time, it makes you sick....
You catch a cold.
That's all it does.
Well, it looks like a cold. One of the first colds you ever caught was probably actually caused by what basically amounts to an allergic reaction to a common bacterium. Most people's bodies just brush them off, but yours got a little defensive. Oh well, it wears off, you go about your infant life completley unchanged....except now you have antibodies for this bacteria. Okay, everyone does. So this won;t make you sick again, right?
Well no. This most common type of bacteria changes subtly now and then, and you get another cold. This happens two or three times throughout your childhood and by the time you're in middle school your defense to this has pretty much matured past the point where the bacteria can really make you sick anymore. You're too used to it and your defense is too good. It doesn't make you sick anymore. Your relationship with the microbe is now the same as everyone else, with one notable exception: they can't live in your body. You are a hostile environment for this bacteria. Lets put on our magical metaphor goggles of speculation for a moment. These will allow us to seewhere the bacteria is in people's bodies. Most people will show up through your magical metaphor goggles of speculation with hotspots: the bacteria ends up in their bodies as a matter of course, it doens;t really hurt them, the bacteria doesn't care. But if we look at you, you show up as a blank spot. Its very strange. Grnated, if you're under a lot of stress and your immune system is taking a hit, it might make you a little sick, but no more so than stress would make anyone else.
That brings me to why there are no children in the L4D verse. Kids, even immune ones, just aren't equipped to deal with it. The immune ones with their incomplete defenses won't turn into zombies but will get very very sick and possibly die, and the ones who aren;t immune, their non-fully-formed brains can't sustain the effects of the microbes and they die of hemmoraging within a few hours of infection. With really good care the partly-immune ones can recover, but if they're on their own, forget it.
Now, flash forward. Zombie apocylypse. The end is extremely blanking nigh. Bacteriophage, rabies, staphylococcus, blah blah blah already went off about that. This happens:
Infected Bacteria: Imma eat your brain and suppress your immune system and stuff!
Normal Person: Oh teh noes!
Immune System: Egad! The infected bacteria has made me powerless to fight off the invading staphylococcus!
Staphylococcus: Yeah! Party!
Normal Person: Ah, curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal! Blaarg rawwwr braiins!
Infected Bacteria: Imma eat your brain and suppress your immune system and stuff!
You: Oh teh noes!
Immune System: Oh yeah? Bring it! punches the infected bacteria in the face
Infected Bacteria: Curse you! My brothers! Attack more!
Immune System: RAWR!
Staphylococcus: runs home crying while the two fight
You: Yeah, I'm awesome. Shoots the poor sod in that last example who just turned into a zombie
Why did this happen? Well, the virus-mutated bacteria is still similar enough to its original form that your "allergy" reaction to it is still set off, and not only does it not eat your brain and suppress your immune system, it also kinda gets its ass kicked because your body has the exact know-how it needs to kill it. Of course, it still gets in, this bacteria being more resiliant, but you are still a hostile environment. Smoker isn't cold all the time and have low endurance JUST because she's Smoker. Its partly because her overall poor health means she is constantly running a low grade fever to keep the microbe at bay while the others
That stress thing is really a killer because when you stop fighting it starts winning.
Essentially? Carriers don't get sick because though the bacteria can invade them now, it can't damage them because they are able to pull up copies of the antibody for this very quickly and they keep the virus from reproducing. They can, however, spread it because it IS present.
But on the flip side of this...
CARRIERS CARRY THE CURE.
If it were possible to tranfer some active antibodies from a carrier to a recently infected person, it might cure them or at least stave off the immune-supressing effects long enough for them to start producing their own.
That's all for this installment of Questionable Zombie Science.
As we know, there is a gene that causes it. This is a recessive alelle carried on the X chromosome making one out of three males and one out of nine females [about 22% of the population]resistant to the disease. But how does this function exactly? I theorize that the key here is not an inherant strength, but a weakness. The gene for immunity initially makes you less resistant to the aforementioned super common Bacteria. [The theory about that can be found here http://xajelectric.livejournal.com/3930.html]
Alright, lets back up. That doen't seem possible. How can a vulnerability to something make you stronger against it?
The answer to that: the basic behavior of the human immune system.
Alright, lets back up a little more. Lets say you're an immune survivor. Back up more....... okay, you were just born. Your ftaher is immune, your mother carries at least one copy of the alelle. You have inherited the trait that makes you immune to zombie virus. But there is no zombie virus yet, that'll be years from now. But there IS that happy little harmless bacteria. Except to you, it isn't so harmless. Of the billions of humans who evolved with this bacteria completely unable to touch them, you are the one it can. Its like you're allergic to the most common mictrobe in the world. It can't be avaoided. And when you come in contact with it for the first time, it makes you sick....
You catch a cold.
That's all it does.
Well, it looks like a cold. One of the first colds you ever caught was probably actually caused by what basically amounts to an allergic reaction to a common bacterium. Most people's bodies just brush them off, but yours got a little defensive. Oh well, it wears off, you go about your infant life completley unchanged....except now you have antibodies for this bacteria. Okay, everyone does. So this won;t make you sick again, right?
Well no. This most common type of bacteria changes subtly now and then, and you get another cold. This happens two or three times throughout your childhood and by the time you're in middle school your defense to this has pretty much matured past the point where the bacteria can really make you sick anymore. You're too used to it and your defense is too good. It doesn't make you sick anymore. Your relationship with the microbe is now the same as everyone else, with one notable exception: they can't live in your body. You are a hostile environment for this bacteria. Lets put on our magical metaphor goggles of speculation for a moment. These will allow us to seewhere the bacteria is in people's bodies. Most people will show up through your magical metaphor goggles of speculation with hotspots: the bacteria ends up in their bodies as a matter of course, it doens;t really hurt them, the bacteria doesn't care. But if we look at you, you show up as a blank spot. Its very strange. Grnated, if you're under a lot of stress and your immune system is taking a hit, it might make you a little sick, but no more so than stress would make anyone else.
That brings me to why there are no children in the L4D verse. Kids, even immune ones, just aren't equipped to deal with it. The immune ones with their incomplete defenses won't turn into zombies but will get very very sick and possibly die, and the ones who aren;t immune, their non-fully-formed brains can't sustain the effects of the microbes and they die of hemmoraging within a few hours of infection. With really good care the partly-immune ones can recover, but if they're on their own, forget it.
Now, flash forward. Zombie apocylypse. The end is extremely blanking nigh. Bacteriophage, rabies, staphylococcus, blah blah blah already went off about that. This happens:
Infected Bacteria: Imma eat your brain and suppress your immune system and stuff!
Normal Person: Oh teh noes!
Immune System: Egad! The infected bacteria has made me powerless to fight off the invading staphylococcus!
Staphylococcus: Yeah! Party!
Normal Person: Ah, curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal! Blaarg rawwwr braiins!
Infected Bacteria: Imma eat your brain and suppress your immune system and stuff!
You: Oh teh noes!
Immune System: Oh yeah? Bring it! punches the infected bacteria in the face
Infected Bacteria: Curse you! My brothers! Attack more!
Immune System: RAWR!
Staphylococcus: runs home crying while the two fight
You: Yeah, I'm awesome. Shoots the poor sod in that last example who just turned into a zombie
Why did this happen? Well, the virus-mutated bacteria is still similar enough to its original form that your "allergy" reaction to it is still set off, and not only does it not eat your brain and suppress your immune system, it also kinda gets its ass kicked because your body has the exact know-how it needs to kill it. Of course, it still gets in, this bacteria being more resiliant, but you are still a hostile environment. Smoker isn't cold all the time and have low endurance JUST because she's Smoker. Its partly because her overall poor health means she is constantly running a low grade fever to keep the microbe at bay while the others
That stress thing is really a killer because when you stop fighting it starts winning.
Essentially? Carriers don't get sick because though the bacteria can invade them now, it can't damage them because they are able to pull up copies of the antibody for this very quickly and they keep the virus from reproducing. They can, however, spread it because it IS present.
But on the flip side of this...
CARRIERS CARRY THE CURE.
If it were possible to tranfer some active antibodies from a carrier to a recently infected person, it might cure them or at least stave off the immune-supressing effects long enough for them to start producing their own.
That's all for this installment of Questionable Zombie Science.