The Zombie Virus

In modern films, zombies are often depicted as being created by an infectious virus, which passes on via bites and contact with fluids.

Harvard psychiatrist Steven Schlozman has termed the condition of zombies ‘Ataxic Neurodegenerative Satiety Deficiency Syndrome’ in a hoax article.

Viruses are microscopic infectious agents that come in many shapes and sizes. Unfortunately viruses do not contain the necessary components needed to carry out the basic chemical reactions required for life.

Because they can’t live on their own they infect host cells of other organisms to help them survive and reproduce. Like a parasite, viruses need to find ways to spread to new host cells in order to continue living. They have discovered many different ways to spread to new host organisms. The influenza virus transmits through a sneeze or a cough. Many have the ability to change the DNA of the host cell. Some viruses have even found ways to change the behavior of the host organisms.

A few popular candidates include: Swine flu, E.Coli 0157, Botulism, Dengue Fever, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, SARS, Rabies, Hantavirus, Anthrax, Plague, Cholera, HIV, Ebola, Marburg virus, Lhasa virus, Sarin, COVID and VX.  


Solanum

Solanum is a fictional virus in Max Brook’s Zombie Survival guide. Solanum works by travelling through the bloodstream, from the initial point of entry to the brain. Through mean 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 resemblance (physiologically speaking) to the original corpse. Some bodily functions remain constant, others operate in a modified capacity, and the remainder shut down completely.