DeGen Stages

The DeGen virus is highly contagious, with blood-borne transmission (the blood acts "sentient," actively seeking ways into a body). It can cause infection with exposure to dead, infected bodies at least several decades after death given the right low-moisture situations, such as would be present in a spaceship or arid desert.

When initially infected, the virus will spread quickly among the populace, with little external evidence of the infection. The virus is undetectable during this phase, until the patient has been infected for months. The virus is barely replicating and exists as a small colony around the eyes or mouth.

Erratic behavior, including sleeplessness, has been reported during this phase.

This stage is triggered by a high-stress event, which elevates the host body's endorphins and triggers the DeGen virus to mutate and become active.

During this phase, the host will seek to attack others mindlessly, even those infected, and will cough or spray blood into the face/eyes of anyone around it.

Because this event is itself a high-stress situation, a domino effect often ensues, where one creature experiences a high stress event and then cascades the outbreak stage among all nearby dormant/infected creatures. This escalates the situation exponentially, and frequently makes the situation uncontainable.

During the outbreak stage, the patient may exhibit burst blood vessels in the eyes and face, blood leaking from fingernails, mouth, eyes and elsewhere.

There is no recovery from this stage. This only option is extermination, preferably with energy weapons or fire.

In the weeks following infection, the infected will turn on themselves, consuming each other and mutating into larger, chaotic biological entities. These often become more dangerous, and difficult to subdue or kill. They will frequently consume any biological entities on a planet, including bugs, birds or other simple life, and then take on characteristics of those entities. It is theorized this is an attempt to make an apex predator for that environment, to ensure survival.

After all available biological resources have been consumed, the infected will enter a dormant state much like a hibernating bear. It is theorized this state can be maintained for years, but may require the presence of moisture and oxygen, depending on the species. This state will return to Stage 3 when the infected is aroused by sound or other activity.

After a lack of biological resources for years, or with enough physical trauma, the infected will die. At this stage the virus will continue to infect the air.

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