CJD CLASSIC   

Description:  Beware! I am the CJD prion! HEAR ME ROAR!!! As a self-replicating protein, I cause a rare and incurable disease, a type of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy characterized by rapidly progressive dementia, paralysis, loss of motor control, and eventual death. 

Offense:

Attack Power: My destructive power leads to irreversible brain damage. Some believe I am caused by an abnormal CJD prion that targets human brain tissue to produce brains lesions.  I may be inherited, but I am usually converted spontaneously from a normal prion found in all people to my current form as a disease-causing agent.  I may infect unsuspecting humans through medical procedures involving neural tissues or extracts from CJD patients.  The few victims that I infect (<1 case/per million per year) eventually develop deadly spongiform encephalopathy.

Speed:   I act slowly. My incubation ranges from fifteen months to several decades.  But don’t underestimate the strength of my offense—I compensate my lack of speed with overwhelming attack power. 

Defense:  No test exists to determine whether infection (by me!) has taken place.  Diagnosis can only be made based upon clinical signs, characteristic electroencephalogram patterns, and other signs.  No treatment exists for me. Want a hint on how to protect yourself? Avoid medical procedures involving other people’s neural tissue. There’s not much else you can do.

                             MEASLES

Description:  Bow down to me because I am one of the most contagious viruses known to man! As a member of the Paramyxoviridae family, I am known to cause a rash in my victims, and I am capable of causing severe complications like pneumonia and encephalitis, which have been responsible for millions of preventable deaths each year.

Offense: 

Attack power:  I strike effectively.  How contagious am I? Approximately 90% of susceptible close contacts of an infected individual will become infected by me.  I reside in the mucus of the nose and throat, where I induce a fever during the first 2-4 days of the infection and a rash 14 days after exposure.  This rash spreads gradually from the face downward and outward over the next three days, reaching the hands and feet.  I also cause a bunch of nasty complications experienced by twenty percent of my victims.  Which ones?  I’ll tell you…pneumonia, encephalitis, seizures, and even death. In fact, almost one out of four people in developing countries die as a result of me, that translates to about one million children in the world each year, primarily due to a number of factors like malnutrition and vitamin A deficiency.  I can replicate in the immune system such as the lymph nodes, and in the nervous system to cause neuronal symptoms. 

Speed:   I’m fast. My incubation period is only ten to twelve days, and the disease that I cause usually lasts about two weeks. 

Defense:  Protect yourself with the Scwarz vaccine, a live attenuated vaccine that ensures lifelong immunity.  But don’t worry. Chances are, you’ve already been inoculated. Children around the age of fifteen months have been vaccinated for decades now. How about those in developing countries? The best way to defend against me would be to consume sufficient vitamin B.   

            B VIRUS

Description:  My name is Cercopithecine herpesvirus, but you can call me B virus.  I am an infectious agent commonly found among macaque monkeys, but I usually cause mild or no symptoms in those infected monkeys. However, in the extremely rare instances when I infect humans, I can cause fatal encephalomyelitis. I’m your worst nightmare.  Muhahaha…

Offense: 

Attack power:  I am transmitted to humans from exposure to contaminated monkey tissues and secretions through bites, scratches, and splashes. The disease that I cause begins with influenza-like symptoms before neurologic signs develop.  Almost all of my victims develop encephalitis, and approximately eighty percent of my untreated victims eventually die of complications associated with respiratory failure associated with ascending paralysis.

Speed:  I’m fast. My incubation is only a few days to a week.  I cause Human B-virus disease within a month of exposure. 

Defense:  My potential victims are those who are exposed to monkeys or monkey tissues. These individuals should exercise caution by following protocols regarding proper handling. A wound or exposure area should be cleansed immediately with sterile saline or running water for fifteen minutes.  I can also be detected using a direct culture, which has become the standard method to diagnosis B virus infections. But if I infect you, consider yourself toast.