While I'm driving to work or riding the subway, I muse about my small herd of plot bunnies

[kyanoswolf]

You have to keep them fed or they start eating the weaker ones. I'm too fond of them to let that happen

Comments

[danceswithgary]

Every time I enter a public restroom or touch a door handle outside my house, I shudder at the possible infectious agents. :-P

[kyanoswolf]

This is why products like Purell are so popular.

[akacat]

[kyanoswolf]

Or an extremely widespread contamination of food and water supplies by something that we don't normally consider a threat.

[g_martin_blank]

Hmmm.

In Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan series, there were the terrorists who delivered the infectious disease by placing time-released aerosol cans into large public places like convention halls.

Otherwise, it's got to be handrails, doorknobs, or enclosed spaces like elevators.

[kyanoswolf]

"Executive Orders!" But ebola really was hard to turn into an effective biological weapon.

For the story, I'd need a deadly infectious agent that lingers long enough when applied to surfaces (many public spaces are cleaned daily, so the cleaning staff would have to be in on the plan), has a long incubation period in which it is contagious and doesn't burn itself out before it can be passed to a great number of other victims. And it needs to be easily cultured. Or it needs to occur naturally and becomes unexpectly deadly.