by Rigen

Item #: SCP-3056

Object Class: Euclid

Special Containment Procedures: A sample of SCP-3056 is to be kept in a standard bio-hazard containment locker in Site-234. Public communication lines are to be monitored for reports of similar symptoms to SCP-3056. Civilian witnesses are to be administered Class-A amnestics, while infected individuals are to be detained indefinitely in a bio-hazard containment chamber located at the closest available facility.

Confirmed outbreaks of SCP-3056 are subject to immediate bio-hazard quarantine protocol. An arsenal of thermobaric weapons are to be kept in storage at all facilities. Evacuation of civilians is prioritized under the cover of terrorist attack. Incendiary burn is to be maintained for 65 hours, minimizing possibility of pathogen escape.

Description: SCP-3056 is an anomalous strain of virus from genus Orthomyxovirus,1 H7N7.

Similar to its non-anomalous counterpart, SCP-3056 is capable of infecting a wide range of animals, including humans, birds, and most mammals. However, its anomalous nature has only been observed in humans. Non-human animals infected with the virus show no noticeable symptoms even in late stages of infection, due to the slight difference between the lytic cycle2 of the virus from natural apoptosis3 of lung cells.

The infected animals will eventually die after SCP-3056 infects more than 80% of lung cells. Nevertheless, due to its slow rate of infection, ranging from 16 months to 3 years, infected animals are more likely to die of different causes. SCP-3056 is capable of spreading through the blood, saliva, and vomit of the infected animals and has been observed to be capable of surviving for up to 60 hours without a host. SCP-3056 is resilient towards high temperature, and also demonstrates a high survival rate in open air and flowing water.

Human subjects infected with SCP-3056 (designated SCP-3056-1) show normal influenza symptoms as well as crystal growth within their nasal cavity. Samples collected from the nasal cavity of SCP-3056-1 show that the cell membranes are coated with layers of struvite.4 In addition, it also modifies the mucous membrane inside the lungs of SCP-3056-1 to produce methane.

Modification of the nasal cavity and pulmonary mucous membrane has been observed to start in the first five minutes of infection. This process typically finishes within 24 hours of infection, immediately starting the methane production process in the lungs. Due to the danger methane poses to the body, SCP-3056-1 instances sneeze to prevent methane build up; this is done regularly at intervals ranging from 30 to 40 minutes.

When SCP-3056-1 sneezes, the pressure on the nasal cavity causes the struvite crystals to produce electric sparks due to their piezoelectric nature. The electric sparks ignite the methane gas expelled from SCP-3056-1's lungs, causing mild conflagration within the mouth and nasal cavity of SCP-3056-1.

Due to full crystallization of the nasal cavity, SCP-3056-1 instances only report mild inconvenience and disabled sense of smell after each conflagration, without any observed danger to their health.

Addendum 3056-1: SCP-3056 was discovered in ██/██/1998, following several accounts regarding "fire-breathing humans" in [REDACTED], Japan. Several Assessment Team operatives were dispatched by the Global Occult Coalition at the same time as the Foundation, but fortunately SCP-3056-1 instances could be recovered by the Foundation without incident. Infected animals were destroyed with the help of Global Occult Coalition operatives.

Footnotes

1. A family of RNA virus that includes Influenza A, Influenza B, Influenza C, and Influenza D.

2. A part of virus reproduction cycles which results in the destruction of the infected cells

3. Process to replace failing old cells with new, healthy cells

4. (NH4MgPO4.6H2O), a mineral commonly found in the urine of mammals infected with urea-splitting bacterium