Solanum or Vampirus Bacillus?

NOTE: This is directly from Zombie League Gaming. I would like to see Forge Hub's opinion on which one is better as the "true" origin of the zombie phenomena, because soon ZLG will be doing a machinima, and we are trying to figure out which one is more positively liked by the community.

You decide which micro-organism is the true menace that hides behind the myth and superstition of the zombie origin.
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Earlier today, I picked up "The Zombie Survival Guide" by Max Brooks from a friend of mine. The first section, after the introduction, discusses the myths and realities (as well as the "true" origin of the zombie) of the zombie.

On the second page, Max Brooks speaks of solanum, a virus that was discovered by Jan Vanderhaven, a Latin scientist who originally "discovered" the disease.

The original novel of "I Am Legend" by Richard Matheson, however, has a different theorem of where the zombie and vampiric origin comes from. In the book, Robert Neville discovers a germ called bacillus. He later dubs the form of bacillus that had mutated and started the outbreak of vampires (they can also be referred to as hemocytes, or, more related to this topic, zombies).

Some of you may already know of our upcoming machinima project, "Trepidation." A crucial part of the machinima plot line is the discovering of the micro-organism that causes the original outbreak of the plague tha takes place in the series. And now, it is up to you, the true infection and zombie lover, to decide which one we shall claim as the official origin of the zombie hordes we've come to know and repel.

Below, I will post up a little background and information about each of the microscopic killers, so please read these before placing your vote.

Solanum

As quoted from Max Brooks' "Zombie Survival Guide:"

Solanum works by traveling through the bloodstream, from the initial point of entry to the brain. Through means not yet fully understood, the virus uses the cells of the frontal lobe for replication, destroying them in the process. During this period, all bodily functions cease. By stopping the heart, the infected subject is rendered "dead." The brain, however, remains alive but dormant, while the virus mutates its cells into a completely new organ. The most critical trait of this new organ is its independence from oxygen. By removing the need for this all-important resource, the undead brain can utilize, but is in no way dependent upon, the complex support mechanism of the human body. Once mutation is complete, this new organ reanimates the body into a form that bears little resemblence (physiologically speaking) to the original corpse. Some bodily functions remain constant, others operate in a modified capacity, and the remainder shut down completely. This new organism is a zombie, a member of the living dead.

1. Source

Unofrtunately, extensive research has yet to find an isolated example of solanum in nature. Water, air, and soil in all ecosystems, from all parts of the world, have turned up negative, as have their accompanying flora and fauna. At the time of this writing, the search continues.

2. Symptoms

The timetable below outlines the process of an infected human (give or take several hours, depending on the individual).

Hour 1: Pain and discoloration (brown-purple) of the infected area. Immediate clotting of the wound (provided the infection came from a wound).

Hour 5: Fever (99-103 degress F), chills, slight dementia, vomitting, acute pain in the joints.

Hour 8: Number of extremities and infected area, increased fever (103-106 degrees F), increased dementia, loss of muscular coordination.

Hour 11: Paralysis in the lower body, overall numbness, slowed heart rate.

Hour 16: Coma.

Hour 20: Heart stoppage. Zero brain activity.

Hour 23: Reanimation.

3. Transference

Solanum is 100 percent communicable and 100 percent fatal. Fortunately for the human race, the virus is neither waterborne nor airborne. Humans have never been known to contract the virus from elements in nature. Infection can occur only through direct fluidic contact. A zombie bite, although by far the most recognizable means of transference, is by no means the only one. Humans have been infected by brushing their open wounds against those of a zombie or by being splattered by its remains after an explosion. Ingestion of infected flesh (provided the person has no open mouth sores), however, results in permanent death rather than infection. Infected flesh has proven to be highly toxic.

No information - historical, experimental, or otherwise - has surfaced regaring the results of -blam!- relations with an undead specimen, but as previously note, the nature of solanum suggests a high danger of infection. Warning against such an action would be useless, as the only people deranged enough to try would be unconcerned for their own safety. Many have argued that, given the congealed nature of undead bodily fluids, the chances of infection from a non-bite contact should be low. However, it must be remembered that even one organism is enough to begin the cycle.

4. Cross-Species Infection

Solanum is fatal to all living creatures, regardless of size, species, or ecosystem. Reanimation, however, takes place only in humans. Studies have shown that solanum infectin a non-human brain will die within hours of the death of its host, making the carcass safe to handle. Infected animals expire from before the virus can replicate throughout their bodies. Infection from inset bites such as from mosquitoes can also be discounted. Experiments have proven that all parasitic insects can sense and will reject an infected host 100 percent of the time.

5. Treatment

Once a human is infected, little can be done to save him or her. Because solanum is a virus and not a bacteria, antibiotics have no effect. Immunization, the only way to combat a virus, is equally useless, as even the most minute dosage will lead to a full-blown infection. Genetic research is under way. Goals range from stronger human antibodies to resistant cells structure to a counter-virus designed to identify and destroy solanum. This and other, more radical treatments are still in the earliest stages, with no foreseeable success in the near future. Battlefield experiences have led to the immediate severing of the infect limb (provided this is the location of the bite), but such treatments are dubious at best, with less than a 10 percent success rate. Chances are, the infected human was doomed from the moment the virus entered his or her system. Should the infected human choose suicide, he should remember that the brain must be eliminated first. Cases have been recorded in which recently infected subjects, deceased by means other than the virus, will nonetheless reanimate. Such cases usually occur when the subject expires after the fifth hour of infection. Regardless, and person killed after being bitten or otherwise infected by the undead should be immediately disposed of.

6. Reanimating the Already Deceased

It has been suggested that fresh human corpses could reanimate if solanum were introduced after their demise. This is a fallacy. Zombies ignore necrotic flesh and therefore could not transfer the virus. Experiments conducted during and after World War II have proven that injecting solanum into a cadaver would be futile because a stagnant bloodstream could not transport the virus to the brain. Injection directly into a dead brain would be equally useless, as the expired cells could not respond to the virus. Solanum do not create life - it alters it.

Vampirus Bacillus - The mutation of bacillus that causes the creation of vampires / zombies.

Unfortunately, I cannot provide such a detailed summary of vampirus bacillus as I can with solanum, because solanum came directly from a non-fictional informational book that detailed every aspect of the virus. However, I can give my perspective of vampirus bacillus, and what knowledge I have of the germ.

Bacillus is a cylindrical bacterium, a tiny rod of protoplasm that moves itself through the blood by means of tiny threads that project from the cell envelope. These hairlike flagelle lash vigorously at the fluid medium and propel the bacillus.

Unlike solanum, vampirus bacillus is clouded behind a wall of superstition that regards the vampire. The effects of vampirus bacillus are completely different than the effects of personal hysteria and psychology that a victim undergoes as he/she is infected.

Vampirus bacillus can not survive in direct sunlight. The odor, not the composition, of garlic repels vampires (or hemocytes / zombies). Also, glass mirrors do not have an effect on victims of the plague.

"Vampires" and zombies (if a zombie is accepted as a victim of solanum), at least the true vampire, are near exactly alike, except in a few distinct ways. For example, as stated above, hemocytes are repelled by garlic and sunlight.

When daylight comes (or when the germ has no fresh blood), the bacillus induces the host body into an unawakening coma. The germ then either a) sporulates, causing the coma. When conditions become favorable, the coma is ended and the hemocyte rises again, or b) metabolizes abnormally and produces bacteriophages (inanimate, self-reproducing proteins) if the coma cannot be induced. These bacteriophages destroy the bacteria (the bacillus germ).

< Continued >

 

The bacteriophages ultimately cause the germ to swell up and explode, and sends out spores. These spores are carried by wind, water, or insects (or some other third-party factor, which are so vast they are near impossible to catalog here) and then find a new victim to infect.

A lot of the vampire, or hemocyte, is superstition. For example, the Hollywood-depiction of a vampire leaning ominously over a sleeping heroine is false. The infection can spread through other means aside from physical bite.

Furthermore, the cross is a superstition of the vampire as well. Why should a hemocyte who was originally a Mohammedan, or a Jew, or an atheist be afraid of a Christian cross? Because the origin of the legend of the vampire mostly came from Europe, a predominantly Catholic continent, it seems logical that people believe that a cross can effectively repel zombies and vampires.

However, the legend behind the cross is real, to an extent. You see, as the bacillus begins to infect the host, the human suffers from hysteria and ultimately dreaded dementia. The human will seek refuge from their infection in any way possible, and through worship to whatever respected religion they had chose to believe in, they fear that if they turn into a hemocyte they will become damned and will have to take refuge from society and the key object of their religion. So, if a Christian becomes a vampire and suffers from the psychological hysteria, it will fear the cross. Using this logic, a Jew would fear the Torah, and so on and so forth for each respective religion.

Also, there are two distinctive kinds of vampires (hemocytes): The living and the truly dead ones.

The living ones are not yet entirely hemocytes, though they can be referred to as such. They are merely humans that have passed the first stage of infection and are now being, for the most part, controlled by the germ and the germ's desire for fresh blood (which causes the infected to seek out victims to get blood from).

However, the dead ones are literally dead, and their mechanical movement is only being controlled solely by the germ.

"Living" vampires are still capable of logical thought, though their suffered hysteria has most likely driven them to a point of madness and therefore are referred to as "clinically insane." That is why they active primitive, yet still are capable of speech (if they are not mad to an extreme point).

Once the germ reaches a self-mutating stage, the germ will utterly kill the victim and the "living" vampire will be then classed as a "dead" vampire.

This is an interesting aspect of the vampirus bacillus, because, in theory (this is what also happened in the original "I Am Legend"), a group of hemocytes could organize and literally create their own society.

But using pills and other drugs, a group of vampires could in fact become organized and possibly develop a resistance to sunlight and be capable of organized thought and society.

With solanum, organization in such a way is utterly impossible.

More will be added to this section as I learn more about the germ.

Personal Reflections and Afterword

-- Caution: People with easily swayable opinions should not read this part until AFTER voting. --

Personally, as the script writer and director of our machinima project, I can imagine creating a better script using vampirus bacillus instead of solanum. However, I can work with either.

Now it is up to you to decide. Sorry for providing such a long thread, but hopefully you've learned something new about the origin of zombies and help create more epicness in the zombie world because of you reading this.

Cheers to all, and thank you for reading. Feel free to post your own theories, opinions, etc. All discussion about the thread topic, as well as debate, is allowed.

Cheers,
Ghost

 

Well, I'm not shooting for complete total "to the letter" zombies, just a more undead-survival feel to it. Vampires and zombies generally fall under similar categories to me, and it wouldn't be much trouble at all in this point of the plot to simply alter the word "zombie" to "vampire."