Guide to Virology

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Updated 28/01/2015. - Bone White

Despite measures to sterilise its space stations, pathogens still make their way onto NanoTrasen Space Vessels. Below is a guide on how to deal with them.

Virology 101

The first, and most important way to prevent 99% of infections, it's proper hazard wear, and knowing how to keep the infection from spreading.

Terminology

Virus - An infectious disease, almost always giving negative symptoms.

Infected - Someone who has a virus in their bloodstream.

Symptom - The effect a virus has on the infected.

Pathogen - An alternate name for a virus.

Antigen - A substance that can help create antibodies. Used for immunizing. Is always recorded as two uppercase letters e.g. PO

Antibody - An existing cell designed to combat a virus. Antigens allow living things to generate antibodies.

Stamm - A unique identifying number for an analyzed disease. Is always recorded as a four figure number following a hash e.g. Stamm #1452

Rate of Progression - How fast a pathogen's symptoms manifest, average is 100.

Symptom Strength - how potent the symptom is, only affects certain symptoms, especially ones that deal damage.

Symptom Veroisty - unknown.

Protective Equipment

The following will protect you, from the dangerous infections of space, each giving more and more (till total) protection against infection:

  • Biohood virology.png Level-3 Bio Hood.
  • Biosuit virology.png Level-3 Bio Suit.
  • LGloves.png Latex Gloves.
  • File:White shoes.png Shoes, of better Galoshes.png Galoshes.
  • EmergencyOxygenTank.png Internal air supply including BreathMask.png Breath Mask or Gasmasks.gif Gas Mask.

For those not in the medical profession, the following commonly available items will help reduce your chances of infection:

  • Any internals hooked up to a tank and activated.
  • Gloves.
  • Clothes.

Isolation

If you, or another crew member are infected, do not spread the infection further. Seek the isolation bay of the medical wing, or head to a room no one will enter but yourself and other infected.

Cleanliness

Cleaning blood spills from the ground will prevent contact contamination, make sure blood is cleaned from the floor at all time. Any blood splatter out there could hold a dreaded space infection. Contact a janitor if you see blood on the floor, do not interact with the blood if you suspect possible infection chance. You have a bottle of space cleaner in Virology to clean virology itself. If an outbreak gets out, make sure people are cleaning blood.

Mucus caused by infected people sneezing also carries the same problem.

Methods of Infection

The following are the various ways a disease can spread, keep this in mind at all times:

  • Airborne - The most dangerous and quick spreading, if you are anywhere within the breathing area of the infected crew member, you have a chance to be infected.
How to prevent - Either Infected or Uninfected must wear internals, preferably both. As soon as an airborne virus is loose, get everyone on internals.
  • Contact - Requires you to touch, been touched, or be extremely close to the source of the infection. The infection could be from a blood spill (all blood spills containing contact, or airborne, infections can infect through blood contact).
How to prevent - EVA and Biosuits prevent contact transfer, wearing one, isolate the infected crewmembers in Virology or the isolation ward in Medbay. Warn crew to avoid blood and each other.
  • Injection - Infected blood has been forced into the infected crew member, but they are not infectious themselves. The only way to spread these infections, is through getting infected blood directly into another crew member is by injecting diseased blood, or drinking diseased blood.
How to prevent - The easiest, just be careful of anyone with access to syringes, especially the Virologist. Also, beware of what you eat and drink, they could be contaminated with blood too.

Viruses

Primarily, this is your job. Find a batch of a virus, analyze it, and then produce a cure. You also research and splice new forms of virus.

Equipment

You have a number of machines around virology which help in the both analysing, curing, and research viruses.

  • File:Centrifuge.png Isolation Centrifuge - This machine takes vials filled with blood and isolates pathogens or antibodies. It will automatically detect whether a sample of blood contains either, and can be useful for telling which people are infected. It can then isolate the pathogen, producing a virus dish, or isolate the antibody, producing a vial of antibodies.
  • File:Incubator.png Pathogenic incubator - This machine takes virus dishes made by the centrifuge, or from the samples in your lab and grows them. It requires diluted milk (virus food) to work however, so ask the Chemist or Chef or use the virus food dispenser in Virology. The machine will ping when the virus reaches a large enough size to be worked with. Radiating the machine may cause the virus to mutate and change one or more of it's symptoms. You can also add a beaker of blood to the machine and infect it with whatever virus dish is currently in the machine.
  • File:Analyser.png Disease Analyser - Putting a sufficiently grown virus dish in here will analyse the virus and display the symptoms on a piece of paper and on examining the virus dish. Also allows the Disease Splicer to show what the symptoms you're splicing are. This will also add a virus to the virus database, allowing it to be named and detected by a medical scanner.
  • File:Disease splicer.gif Disease Splicer - Each virus has four GNA strands which control which symptoms it causes, and one race strand, which controls who can be affected by the virus. This splicer can isolate one of those strains and store it. This destroys the dish in the process however. You can then save the strand to a disk and transfer it to a different virus dish. This is how you can make your own viruses.


Growing a pathogen (virus) sample

This is how grow a pathogen (virus) on a dish for other uses in Virology.

Requirements

  • Virus dish.png Virus Dish
Virology starts with three of these in the freezer, more can be found obtained from a Virus Crate.
  • Beaker.png Beaker
There are two boxes of beakers in Virology
  • Virus Food
There is a Virus Food dispenser on the wall next to the Pathogen Incubator

Process

  • File:Incubator.png If the Pathogen Incubator has any radiation in it, flush the system to remove it.
  • Beaker.png Fill the beaker with Virus Food.
  • File:Incubator.png Place the Virus Food beaker into the Pathogen Incubator.
  • File:Incubator.png Insert the Virus Dish into the Pathogen Incubator
  • File:Incubator.png Turn on the Pathogen Incubator.
  • Virus dish.png Once "Sufficient viral growth density achieved" you can eject the dish.


Mutating a pathogen (virus) sample

This is how mutate a pathogen (virus) on a dish to change either a symptom, the affected race, or the contagion type, and is decided completely randomly.

Requirements

  • Virus dish.png Virus Dish
Virology starts with three of these in the freezer, more can be found obtained from a Virus Crate.

Helpful Optionals

Process

  • Virus dish.png Insert the Virus Dish into the Pathogenic Incubator.
Virus food is not required.
  • File:Incubator.png Add radiation to the Pathogen Incubator, ensuring that the radiation meter turns red.
1,000,000 µSv minimum is recommended as it quickly runs out.
If you are mutating two samples at once, the way to tell which mutated is the infection rate will read "Unknown" on the Pathogenic Incubator's interface.
  • File:Analyser.png Place it into the Disease Analyser to see what has mutated, check it against the previous Disease Analyser report.


Manufacturing antigen (Curing) the entire crew

This is how you cure a breakout of a virus, whether released by Virology, or a random event.

Requirements

File:Vialbox.png You can find vials in a storage box on the table in Virology.

Helpful optionals

  • Antibody Scanner
  • Charcoal

Process

  • Syringes.png Take a sample of blood from the individual infected with the virus
  • Syringes.png Inject the blood into a monkey to infect the monkey with the same virus as the infected individual.
  • Syringes.png Inject affected monkey with Radium.
  • Healthanalyzer.png Wait a while, then scan with Antibody Scanner.
If the infected monkey has not formed antibodies, then wait longer.
NOTE: Radium can be lethal! Only a living patient may form antibodies.
  • Syringes.png Once the monkey has antibodies, take a sample of its blood with a Syringe.
  • File:Vial.png Inject the antibody filled blood into a vial, all 15 units.
  • File:Centrifuge.png Insert the blood filled vial into the Isolation Centrifuge.
  • File:Centrifuge.png Choose the antigen you require to be isolated. Most of the time there will only be one option here.
This is a good time to cure the infected of their radium poisoning with charcoal.
  • File:Vial blue.png Once completed, you will have a vial filled with blue antigen (antibodies).
  • Beaker.png Inject 5 units of antigen into a beaker, and fill the remainder of the beaker with water.
There are two boxes of beakers in Virology.
You can use the sink in the dressing room of Virology for easy access to water.
  • Syringes.png Fill a syringe with the watered down antigen, and inject any affected crew members to make them immune to the disease.
Alternatively, use the paper cups in medbay reception so people can drink the antibodies into their system.
If you require more antigen, take the blood of anyone who has the antigen, inject into a vial, and isolate again.

High Risk Immunization

Note this process is not recommended unless you are a highly experienced Virologist.

Requirements

  • Infected person
  • Radium
  • Syringes.png Syringe
  • Charcoal
  • Healthanalyzer.png Health Analyzer

Helpful optionals

  • Healthanalyzer.png Antibody Scanner

Process

  • Syringes.png Inject affected individual with Radium.
  • Healthanalyzer.png Carefully monitor the patient's toxin levels
Take care to give them charcoal if they become overwhelmed by toxin damage. Radium can be lethal! Only a living patient may form antibodies.
  • Once the victim's symptoms have subsided, they are cured.

Identifying an unknown pathogen (virus)

Only useful in identifying the symptoms of a virus, and should be conducted after the antigens are being safely handed out after an outbreak.

Requirements

File:Vialbox.png You can find vials in a storage box on the table in Virology.

Process

  • Syringes.png Take a sample of the infected's blood with a syringe.
  • File:Vial.png Inject the antibody filled blood into a vial, all 15 units.
  • File:Centrifuge.png Insert the blood filled vial into the Isolation Centrifuge.
  • Choose the stamm (pathogen/virus identifier) you require to be isolated. Most of the time there will only be one option here.
  • Virus dish.png Once completed, you will have a virus dish,
  • File:Incubator.png insert it into the Pathogenic Incubator.
  • Beaker.png Fill the beaker with Virus Food from the dispenser in the wall, and insert it into the Pathogenic Incubator.
If the Virus Food vendor is out, Chemistry can mix some.
  • File:Incubator.png Ensure there is no radiation in the Pathogenic Incubator, at least 30 units of Virus food, then turn it on.
If there is radiation in the system, flush the system before putting in the virus food.
  • File:Incubator.png Once the incubation is finished, the machine will ping "Sufficient viral growth density achieved.".
  • Virus dish.png Eject the virus dish from the Incubator.
  • File:Analyser.png Insert the fully cultivated dish into the Disease Analyzer.
  • Virus dish.png After a short wait, the virus dish will be ejected, along with a piece of paper listing the symptoms.
The pathogen/virus will be added to the station's database to be viewed from medical laptops.
See below for what each symptom's effects are.

Splicing

Viruses have multiple parts:

  • #Stamm (unique identifying number, whether known or not).
  • Infection Type (Airborne, Contact, Injection)
  • Affected Races
  • Antigen
  • Symptom 1
  • Symptom 2
  • Symptom 3
  • Symptom 4
  • Rate of Infection

The parts of the virus listed in Bold can be reverse engineered using the Disease Splicer. Doing so destroys the virus sample. You can only retrieve one sample from a dish, you were warned.

This reverse engineered GNA strand is saved on the local memory of the Disease Splicer. The machine can only hold one GNA strand in it's memory, but they can be saved to a disk, and each disk has infinite uses.

Using the disks and reverse engineering is how you "save" the desired parts of a virus for future use. The Disease Splicer can overwrite the information on a virus sample as well, and this does not destroy the sample, enabling you to create your own customised virus. Inserting a GNA strand disk into the Disease Splicer overwrites the currently stored GNA strand information without warning.

Note how the Antigen, Infection Type and Rate of Infection cannot be reverse engineered. This means that you need a base virus dish with these desired parts to overwrite with your GNA strand disks.

Advanced Virology

You may have already realised that with the three samples you start with, the best you can hope to develop is two GNA strand disks, and one base viral sample. This does not mean however you cannot make your own customised virus.

Now, let's run through an example shift where you want to obtain all the beneficial GNA strands (symptoms) on disk, from a single virus sample.

  • Grow the virus sample, and inject a syringe of blood with the virus.
  • Inject the blood into a vial, and insert it into the Isolation Centrifuge.
  • Isolate the virus Stamm multiple times to produce at least four dishes. This is virus cloning.
  • Irradiate these virus dishes in turn, until they mutate to give the GNA strand symptom you desire by analysing after it mutates.
This step can take a lot of time irradiating and disease analysing
  • Reverse engineer and save to disk each virus sample in the Disease Splicer.
  • You now have the four GNA strand symptoms you originally wanted, plus the original dish to clone more virus samples from.

Symptoms

These are all the symptoms and their effect:

Stage 4

Anticipation Syndrome: The infected lifeform anticipates worse symptoms but none come. Empty syndrome no effect to the body.

Acute Kidney Failure: The infected lifeform kidneys are failing, causing toxic damage to rise within the body of the host.

Arachnogenesis Effect: Causes the infected lifeform to vomit up spiderlings. -Currently commented out

Biolobulin Effect: Gives the infected lifeform the ability to projectile vomit unstable goo. -Currently commented out

Blood Plasma Pyroclastia: The infected lifeform blood temperature begins to rise, causing internal burn injuries.

Cortical Liquification: The infected lifeform brain is sizing up, causing major brain damage within the host brain.

Dead Ear Syndrome: Deafens the infected lifeform.

Exploding Cell Phenomenon: The infected lifeform biological cells are sizing up, causing mini explosions inside the host body, thus random brute injuries.

Fizzle Effect: Gives the infected lifeform a sore throat and the sniffles.

Gibbingtons Syndrome: Gibs the infected lifeform.

Greater Magnitis: Causes the infected lifeform to pulls anything not bolted down and all silicon units within 6 tiles of the infected lifeform towards the infected lifeform.

Hemoptysis: Causes the infected lifeform to cough up blood, thus causing blood loss.

Kingston Syndrome: Turns the infected lifeform into a Tajaran, will kill certain lifeforms due to too great biological differences.

Longevity Syndrome: Heals the lifeform of organ damage, deals damage if cured, ages the lifeform by 8 years.

Monkism Syndrome: Turns the infected lifeform into it's monkey version if it has one, otherwise it gibs.

Necrosis: Melts the flesh or exteriors of the infected lifeform and turn them into a skeleton.

Panacea Effect: Causes the infected lifeform to generate Omnizine, a chemical that can heal almost any injury.

Radian's Syndrome: Deals radiation to the infected lifeform.

Reverse Pattern Syndrome: Increases the body temperature and deals clone damage to the infected lifeform.

Shutdown Syndrome: Disables the limbs of the infected lifeform.

Spontaneous Cellular Collapse: Causes the infected lifeform to produce polynitric acid and slowly break down.

Suicidal Syndrome: Causes the infected lifeform to attempt suicide.

Toxin Sublimation: Causes the infected lifeform to randomly create plasma gas.

Stage 3

Acute Tussis: Causes the infected to cough, spreading the disease through the air.

Continuous Contusions: The infected lifeform bones begin to break down, causing brute damage on limbs.

Delayed Syndrome: Another empty syndrome. No changes to the host.

DNA Breakdown Effect: Causes the infected lifeform to take clone damage.

Elvisism: Turns the infected lifeform into Elvis.

Flammable inflammation: The muscles of the infected lifeform begin to heat up, causing burn injuries.

Fragile Bones Syndrome: Causes the infected lifeforms bones to break.

Groaning Syndrome: Causes the infected lifeform to groan.

Hallucinational Syndrome: Causes the infected lifeform to hallucinate.

Hard of Hearing Syndrome: Gives the infected lifeform bad hearing.

Horse Throat: Gives the infected lifeform a horse mask, causing the target to Neigh.

Hyper-perspiration Effect: Causes the infected lifeform to sweat.

Hyperacidity: Deals toxin damage to the infected lifeform.

Lantern Syndrome: Causes the infected lifeform to glow.

Lesser Magnitis: Causes the infected lifeform to pulls anything not bolted down and all silicon units within 4 tiles of the infected lifeform towards the infected lifeform.

Phantom Pain Syndrome: The central nervous systems begins to breakdown, causing random feels of agony in the body.

Pierrot's Throat: Gives the infected lifeform a clown mask, produces space drugs, and causes the lifeform to Honk.

Psyche Collapse Syndrome: The infected lifeform is getting depressed, causing the body to create Paroxetine.

Regenerative Synapse Effect: The host cells learned a way to heal brain damage, causing the cells to create Alkysine.

Shutdown Syndrome: Disables the limbs of the infected lifeform. (This is the only symptom which currently can occupy more than one stage)

Space Adaptation Effect: Allows the lifeform to survive in space naked, and makes the lifeform almost immortal. -Currently commented out

Synapse Distancing: The infected lifeform brain begins to break down, causing brain damage.

Telepathy Syndrome: Gives the infected ability of telepathy.

Topographical Cretinism: Causes confusion in the infected lifeform.

Uncontrolled Laughter Effect: Causes the target to laugh.

World Shaking Syndrome: Causes the infected lifeform's vision to shake.

Stage 2

Acute Muscle Ache: The infected lifeform body begin to ache.

Adrenal Overload: Produces methampethamine for the infected lifeform.

Anima Syndrome: Gives the infected lifeform a cough.

Appetizer Effect: Makes the infected lifeform hungry.

Automated Sleeping Syndrome: Turns the infected lifeform drowsy.

Bearding: Makes the infected lifeform grow a beard.

Blackout Syndrome: Turns the infected lifeform blind.

Continuous Contusions: Causes the infected lifeform to take brute injuries.

Full Glass Syndrome: Makes the infected lifeform optimistic with tricordazine.

Gaben Syndrome: Turns the infected lifeform fat.

Glasgow Syndrome: Gets the infected lifeform drunk.

Hair Loss: Makes the infected lifeform bald.

Intranasal Hemorrhage: Gives the infected lifeform a nosebleed.

Lantern Syndrome: Causes the infected lifeform to glow.

Loudness Syndrome: Causes the infected lifeform to scream.

Mental Stability Phenomenon: The infected lifeform brain creates Methylphenidate, makes the lifeform smarter.

Patience Syndrome: Another empty syndrome. No changes is in the host.

Prickly Heat Syndrome: The infected lifeform body temperature rises, causing burn injuries.

RNA Compound Corruption: The infected lifeforms RNA begins to breakdown, causing clone damage to the body.

Refrigerator Syndrome: Causes the infected lifeform to shiver.

Resting Syndrome: Causes the infected lifeform to collapse.

Synapse Distancing: The infected lifeforms brain begins to breakdown, causing brain damage.

Uncontrollable Bowel Syndrome: Gifts the infected lifeform with diarrhea.

White Blood Cell Putrification: The hosts white blood cells begin to breakdown, causing toxins to rise.

Stage 1

Adrenaline Extra: Produces ephedrine for the infected lifeform.

Coldingtons Effect: Gives the infected lifeform a cold.

Drained Feeling: Makes the infected lifeform feel drained.

Flemmingtons: Causes Mucous to run down the back of the infected lifeforms throat.

Glass Half Full Syndrome: Makes the infected lifeform optimistic. Possibly has no effects other than this.

Headache: Gives the infected lifeform a headache.

Heightened Sensitivity: Pain is doubled in the host body.

Itching: Causes the infected lifeform to get an itch.

Reality Check: The infected lifeform brain begins to create Citalopram so that the host does not space out.

Saliva Effect: Causes the infected lifeform to drool.

Trachea Sensitivity: Causes coughing.

Twitcher: Causes the infected lifeform to twitch.

Waiting Syndrome: Another empty syndrome. No changes to the host.

Watery Eyes: Causes the infected lifeform's eyes to sting.

Wheezing: Causes the infected lifeform to wheeze.

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