Virus

Virus is the term used to define the main enemies within the Dr. Mario series of games. The Viruses are heavily contagious creatures that appear to have a bipedal, impish appearance. They come in a variety of colours, and each cause different illnesses to be inflicted on his patients. In order to defeat a Virus Dr. Mario must line up Megavitamins next to a Virus of the same colour, which will then cause the Virus, as well as the Megavitamin, to disappear.
== Physical Appearances ==
Though the Viruses do differ in appearance, they all share one of two basic body structures - those that debuted in the original Dr. Mario title all share one, as do all those that debuted later in Dr. Luigi.
The original Viruses are spherical creatures with eyes consisting of a grey sclera and an iris of their unique colour, and each all have a large mouth that takes up most of their body. The Viruses from Dr. Mario also appear to have brown shoes and white gloves, though they lack any limbs to don them, thus they just float alongside their bodies in a manner not unlike Rayman. In earlier appearances the Viruses did have limbs however, and some even appeared to have dinosaur-like tails.
The Viruses from Dr. Luigi appear to have a much different overall appearance. Instead of being creatures that are implied to be bipedal due to wearing shoes, these new Viruses lack legs, or leg-like appendages, altogether, and have full arm-like limbs. These Viruses also are more unique in their designs, differing in body shape (which can vary from spherical to rectangular) and most other details. The few common similarities between the three Dr. Luigi Viruses is that they all have three fingers on their hands, have two large eyes bordered with a dark grey mask-like design (and with white sclera as opposed to white), and, like the original Dr. Mario Viruses, their bodies' largest feature are their mouths.
Original artwork for the North American release of Dr. Mario depicted the Viruses as deranged, imp-like creatures, with long limbs (both arms and legs) protruding off of a more-humanoid facial area, complete with eyes, a nose, and a large mouth. These Viruses also appeared to have horns - unlike like their later redesigns however, these ranged from being devilish to more extra-terrestrial in design as opposed to more-natural. It should be noted that the facial structure of the original yellow Virus, Weird, bore a striking resemblance to Wario's, implying that he may have something to do with their creation, or may be that colour's "Patient Zero".
== Canon Types ==
There are currently at least nine known types of Viruses that appear in the Dr. Mario titles. Only the original Viruses from Dr. Mario have official descriptions of what they do to someone who has been infected by them; the effects that the others cause are conjecture based upon their name or colour.
 	 	
The (sometimes referred to as Chill) causes a person to experience lower body temperatures than normal. They first appeared in the original Dr. Mario and return for most other games in the series. 	The (sometimes referred to as Fever) causes a person to experience higher body temperatures than normal. They first appeared in the original Dr. Mario and return for most other games in the series. 	The (sometimes referred to as Weird) causes a person to transform into different shapes or species. They first appeared in the original Dr. Mario and return for most other games in the series.
 	 	
causes a person to feel immensely fatigued. They have only appeared in Dr. Luigi as an alternative to the standard Virus types. 	causes a person to suffer vertigo and a loss of balance. They have only appeared in Dr. Luigi as an alternative to the standard Virus types. 	causes a person to be in a perpetual state of confusion. They have only appeared in Dr. Luigi as an alternative to the standard Virus types.
 	 	
An unnamed appeared in an officially licensed Dr. Mario board game released by Tiger Electronics in 1994. This Virus possesses aesthetic details from both the Chill and Fever Viruses, in addition to reptilian features, such as a spike atop its head and a tail similar in appearance to Bowser's (albeit green, instead of gold). It reappears after a 25 year absence in the mobile game Dr. Mario World, now with an updated appearance. Its effects on people are currently unknown.	An unnamed appears in promotional material for Dr. Mario World. In artwork, it appears to be related to large collections of purple goo on the ground reminiscent of poisonous liquid from the main series. Unlike the other viruses it has two completely different poses; in one it appears to be jumping with two stubby legs akin to those possessed by Goombas, while in another it is sitting down with only its face visible. Its effects on people are currently unknown.	An unnamed appears in promotional material for Dr. Mario World. Its effects on people are currently unknown.
 	 	
An unnamed appears in Dr. Mario World. Its effects on people are currently unknown. 	An unnamed appears in Dr. Mario World. Its effects on people are currently unknown. 	An unnamed appears in Dr. Mario World. Its effects on people are currently unknown.
=== Dr. Mario for the Gameboy ===
Due to the game appearing on a system without the ability to display colours other than black and white, the viruses from Dr. Mario for the Gameboy are limited to appearing as black, white, and grey. The black virus featured resembles the classic red virus; the grey virus resembles the classic blue virus; the white virus resembles the yellow virus. Due to the limited colours of the system, a few elements of their designs were removed, such as the black parts of their eyes.
=== Driver Viruses ===
Three types of Viruses appear as items within the Mario Kart Arcade GP series of games developed by Bandai Namco. These three Viruses - the Driver Virus, Wheel Virus, and Dizziness Virus - all appear to be similar to the original blue Virus from Dr. Mario, Chill, with the sole difference being that the Dizziness Virus has spirals in its eyes to mimic it being dizzy. These Viruses can be dropped on the track in a manner similar to banana peels, and will infect the first racer to come in contact with them. Similarly to the Thunder Cloud item from Mario Kart Wii, a racer who has been afflicted by the Virus can pass it along to one of their opponents by bumping into them.
As previously mentioned, there are three types of Viruses that appear in these games. All of their effects are fairly similar, altering the player in different ways to make it harder for them to control their racer. The Driver Virus temporarily slows down the afflicted racer, making their top speed similar to that of the person who carries the Shine Sprite in the Shine Thief mode of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. The Wheel Virus makes the player's steering wheel harder to turn, akin to as if they were driving on a bumpy road. Lastly, the Dizziness Virus blurs the player's vision, making it harder for them to see the course and any incoming items in a manner not dissimilar to the Mario Kart series' recurring Blooper item. The Driver Virus is the only one of the three viruses to appear solely in Mario Kart Arcade GP, the Dizziness Virus appears in both of its successors and the Wheel Virus reappears in Mario Kart Arcade GP DX.
== Game Appearances ==
===Mario Baseball All-Stars===
All three Virus characters along with Dr. Mario are playable in Mario Baseball All-Stars.
==Gallery==
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