Item#: 7476

Level3

Containment Class:
euclid

Secondary Class:
none

Disruption Class:
vlam

Risk Class:
critical

link to memo

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-7476's infection must be kept alive, controlled and monitored by Bio-Site-429. The complex is specialized in the contention of fungal anomalies, among other biological hazards. The anomaly is kept as a host of a wild rabbit1 or wild animals. Whenever the host dies, a sample must be taken; the chamber, sterilized; and a new organism infected by the sample.
Sterilization is only possible by spraying 'piranha solution'2.
Warning: sterilization must respect the Site's safety rules regarding SCP-7476, and be done by specialist, with extreme protection, due to the solution's strength.
Description: SCP-7476 is a red parasitic fungus. It is unique in its ability to infect living organisms, causing tissue necrosis and its most notable effects to the brain of its host. The fungus requires a live host in order to reproduce and live and is able to grow on the entire surface of its host and consume soft tissues from within. SCP-7476 rarely causes a host's death due to its pathogenicity, and only rarely causes death by necrosis. The fungi are known to infect all known mammals, as well as many invertebrates and plants. Tests on various animals (a designation given to hosts) reveal low survivability in plants3 and none in amphibians, aquatic organisms or birds. It is currently unknown if the lack of a specific host factor is due to SCP-7476's anomalous nature or a common (yet unknown) characteristic the organisms mentioned before share.
SCP-7476 was first discovered in Iceland when pathologists from the British Antarctic Survey found the fungus in a sick soldier from a Joint Task Force South drill site.
The earliest symptoms appear to be general pain, most commonly felt at the place of the initial infection and occasionally localized to a separate area. Later symptoms include fever, feverish chills, shivering, fatigue, headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, drowsiness, and muscle weakness, as well as the loss of performance of the respiratory system of the host. The symptoms appear to worsen and progress in a linear fashion. The progression is difficult to confirm with standard medical procedures. At this time, the average time between first symptoms and death is around 19 hours. Symptoms gradually progress to a state where death is inevitable and cause the host to become unstable, with several symptoms being reproduced and increased in frequency over time. Affected individuals may also display the following traits:

Obsessive behavior with regard to a belief of being in direct danger.

Abnormal strength, speed, and endurance.

Recurrent sleep patterns which consistently lead to nightmares and excessive sleep.

Individuals infected by SCP-7476 exhibit several types of repetitive behavior while awake. These behaviors are all devoted to the control and protection of SCP-7476, suggesting the anomaly gets to affect the host's nervous system.
SCP-7476 was contained on ██/██/19██. Scientists analyzed the organism through various means, the most prominent being biopsies of hosts. The most common biochemical results from each biopsy were that SCP-7476 only feeds on living tissue. Nutrients or any substance meant to be 'fed' to the anomaly shall not be absorbed; the anomaly also only feeds from its host's tissue.
After the host's death, the condition of the body may deteriorate rapidly, while simultaneously growing an abnormal amount of mycelium. It is believed that the mycelium continues to grow until all of the tissue in the vicinity is gone. Any remains found near the final phase of the infection may be identified as SCP-7476. Several stinky vessels may be found within the abdomen of SCP-7476's host, which contains an unknown compound, presumed to be spores. Analysis of these vessels has provided information regarding the growth cycle of SCP-7476, including the ability to emit skatole4. This is called the 'search state'; SCP-7476 is waiting for a new host. It will infect whatever living entity comes in contact with the mycelium. SCP-7476 is not infectious as its host is alive.
Incident 7476-4:
On ██/██/19██, the most recent documented outbreak of SCP-7476 was linked to an accident at the Bio-Site-429. Various of these anomalies were detected within the personnel, including several bacteria of the species [DATA EXPUNGED], some which had been previously encountered and identified to be capable of being infected by SCP-7476. It is still unknown how the anomaly extended past its containment chamber.

Footnotes
1. Wild rabbits fear humans the most. The main reason for this is, in case of breach, the rabbit will avoid humans, and therefore, infection.
2. Water, hydrogen peroxide and sulphuric acid; quickly dissolves most organic substances
3. However, SCP-7476 infects plant tissue faster than animal tissue.
4. Skatole is a substance present in feces and some flowers. It attracts insects, especially flies, which may spread the infection. Flies are not infected, so the spores stick to their legs and are transported by the insect.