Langdom Bioweapon

The **Langdom Bioweapon**, later known as **Dollar Rabies** or the **Cotton Plague**,is a genetically mutated WMD derived from common rabies that induces extreme aggression in humans, transforming them into creatures referred to as Turned. The virus was designed by the United States government to be used in biological warfare. In July 2017, the virus was released in the town of Langdom, Missouri, but eventually spread outside of the containment zone and into the rest of the country, carried on both dollar bills - hence its nickname - and in domestic pets.

## History

The Langdom Bioweapon is a genetically mutated weapon of mass destruction designed as a biological weapon to use against America's enemies. It is derived from common rabies, the same strain that infects domestic pets, mixed with other pathogens, which make it a devastating biological weapon. The sample that was released on Langdom and subsequently spread across the world was designated **RDVA-2017**.

## Biology

### Genetics

Dollar rabies is a biological weapon in a viral form that is derived from *Rabies lyssavirus*, the rabies virus, which is a part of the *Rhabdoviridae* family of negative-strand RNA viruses. According to Bill Denver's brief analysis of the virus, dollar rabies has been extensively modified to serve as an incredibly effective bioweapon. For example, unlike regular rabies, dollar rabies induces extensive tumour growth, first in the brain and then in the skin; how the virus accomplishes this is not yet known. The original rabies virus has been spliced with numerous other pathogens, effectively making it a viral superweapon.

### Transmission

Ordinary rabies can only be spread through direct contact with an infected specimen's saliva or nervous tissue and kills them by causing extensive brain inflammation that induces aggression, agitation, muscle spasms, delirium, hallucinations, seizures and paralysis. These end with the infected lapsing into a coma, with death following soon afterwards.

The dollar rabies differs in several ways to ordinary rabies; firstly, it has been modified to spread through most bodily fluids, including saliva and blood; the virus does cause brain inflammation, inducing extreme animal-like aggression, but to a much greater extent than ordinary rabies; how the infected subject remains alive is not yet known. As the inflammation increases, common symptoms of rabies begin, including fever, hallucinations, convulsions and partial paralysis. When the virus reaches critical mass in the brain, it induces the growth of brain tumours which further replicate the virus; at this point, the infected lose all higher brain functions and are reduced to an animal-like state. At this point, extensive tumour growth continues over the body; inside these tumours, the replicated virus is wrapped in droplet "sacs" that carry the virus into the air when burst under significant or repeated force - such as scratching - and travel over very short distances, typically within two metres. The virus can also be carried in respiratory droplets that can travel for over twice that distance but do not pose much of a threat in well-ventilated areas.

The time between infection and becoming a "Turned" varies from person to person; in some, the process happens within a few seconds, with the shortest being around fifteen seconds, while in others it takes several hours, even up to 12 hours. It may largely depend on the strength of a person's immune system. Age also appears to be a deciding factor; the elderly Dorothy Wright turned within a few seconds, while the younger Sara Levitt succumbed around 12 hours after being bitten. The virus also appears to work in those who have had the rabies vaccine.

However, the virus appears to lose its potency with time; in *Season 2*, Cassie writes in her notebook that people who are bitten or infected by some of the older Turned - those who turned within the few weeks of the outbreak - took longer to succumb to the virus than those in the early days.

### Symptoms

Dollar rabies induces many symptoms in common with rabies, but in the long-term, it also causes unique symptoms.

In the short term, the infection causes:

* Fever
* Delirium
* Hallucinations
* Muscle spasms
* Seizures
* Frothing at mouth
* Extreme aggression and agitation

In the long term, the virus causes more serious symptoms, usually shown in those that have already Turned but also in those few who reach the late stage of infection while still "human". The only person shown to have reached these stages while still human before finally turning is Sara Levitt, although as the virus loses potency over time it is more likely that others have suffered these symptoms upon coming into contact with older infected.

* Tumour growth
* Reduced heart rate
* Extreme breathing difficulties
* Mottling of the skin
* Blurred vision
* Memory loss
* Tumour growth on the skin

### Immunity

There is no vaccine for dollar rabies, and it is likely that one cannot be developed due to the extremely complex nature of the virus and its ability to rapidly evolve. It is likely that the scientists who created it made it impervious to all known forms of treatment to make it a highly devastating weapon of mass destruction. Like the influenza virus, one of the many viral agents that make up the bioweapon's genome, dollar rabies is able to quickly mutate, making vaccine development difficult and potentially impossible.

Only one human has demonstrated a natural immunity to the virus: Cassie Levitt, who was bitten at the same time as her older sister Sara Levitt and has not shown any symptoms, unlike her sister who eventually became one of the Turned. When she was looked over by Bill Denver, he deduced that, although Cassie is technically "infected", the virus has proven unable to bind to the receptors in her brain and induce symptoms, therefore making her immune. Besides being bitten, she is also immune to the respiratory droplets and "spores" released from the Turned, able to breathe them in and still show no signs of infection. In addition, since she was bitten Cassie has been usually ignored by Turned, who on one occasion only attacked her until they were at a close distance and no other potential prey was in sight; this indicates that the Turned are able to tell the difference between an infected person and a healthy person and only attack other infected as a last resort. All this means that Cassie could potentially be used to develop a vaccine against the bioweapon, therefore making her humanity's only hope.

## Trivia

* A list of organisms known to be vulnerable to the virus include humans, domesticated dogs, bears and bats, all of which share the symptoms of intense aggression and tumour growth.
* Although the bioweapon is referred to as "rabies", it is in fact not rabies and is only derived from rabies, and is only referred to as such because of its similar symptoms. It is a unique microorganism genetically designed with genomes from a variety of pathogens.