List of fictional diseases

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This article is a list of fictional diseases, disorders, infections, and pathogens Which appear in fiction where they have a major plot or thematic importance. They may be fictional psychological disorders, magical, from mythological or fantasy settings, have evolved naturally, been genetically modified (most often created as biological weapons), or be any illness that came forth from the (ab)use of technology.

Prince Prospero flees the Red Death.
The Masque of the Red Death, picture by Roger Corman, 1964.

Items in this list are followed by a brief description of symptoms and other details.

In literature[edit]

Name Source Symptoms
Andromeda Strain also known as La Linea Verde de Muerte; The Green Line of Death. Andromeda StrainThe Andromeda Strain
by Michael Crichton
A deadly, green, crystalline, extraterrestrial agent of indeterminate origin. It erodes the vessel walls of the circulatory system, causing death by either triggering the body's coagulation response (resulting in the entire system clotting in a few seconds), or by cerebral hematomas (accompanied by dementia) if clotting is prevented. It evolves at a rapid rate, is spread by airborne transmission, and is extremely contagious. However, it only functions within a very narrow pH range, and cannot survive in a human body if that human's blood chemistry is too alkaline or too acidic.
ARIA – Alien Retrograde Infectious Amnesia ARIA (novel)
by Geoff Nelder
A virus inducing infectious retrograde amnesia.The effect of ARIA is apocalyptic in that the infected lose their memory backwards at the rate of a year’s worth per week.
Atlantis Complex Artemis Fowl: The Atlantis Complex
by Eoin Colfer
A psychosis common in guilt ridden fairies, but is contracted by Artemis by his dabbling in fairy magic. The symptoms include obsessive compulsive behavior, paranoia, multiple personality disorder, and in his case professing his love to Holly Short.
Bazi Plague The Gor Series
by John Norman
Bazi plague is a deadly, rapidly spreading disease with no known cure. Its symptoms include pustules which appear all over the body, and a yellowing of the whites of the eyes.
Black Trump Virus Wild Cards by George R. R. MartinWild Cards
by George R. R. Martin
The Black Trump virus is a variant of Xenovirus Takis-B. Rather than a cure, this retrovirus was designed to kill aces, jokers, latents, and wild card carriers. Dr. Tachyon's original Trump virus was designed to turn wild carders back into nats (a slang term for naturals), those who do not carry Xenovirus Takis-A in their system.
Bloodfire Blood Nation A virus that gestated in wolves two thousand years ago. The first to be infected was Genghis Khan. It causes the symptoms usually associated with vampirism, photosensitivity and invincibility. The entire nation of Russia is infected, except for a few feral children. The virus can cause extreme mutation, for example the snake's tail present in the Khan's head scientist.
Brainpox "Cobra" The Cobra Event A genetically engineered recombinant virus made from the nuclear polyhedrosis virus, the rhinovirus, and smallpox. It causes nightmares, fever, chills, runny nose, encephalitis (brain swelling), and herpes-like boils in the mouth and genitals, followed by a short period of aggression and autocannibalism preceding death. Used as a bioterror weapon.
Buscard's Murrain a.k.a. Wormword "Entry Taken from a Medical Encyclopaedia"
by China Miéville
An echolalia-like disease in which a specific pronunciation of a certain word—the "wormword"—leads to fatally degenerative cognitive ability as a result of an encephalopathy. Buscard's Murrain is infectious, as the afflicted desire to hear others pronounce the wormword.
Captain Trips ("Superflu", "tube neck", and "project blue") StandThe Stand
by Stephen King
Clone-Killing Nanovirus Star Wars Republic Commando: Hard Contact
by Karen Traviss
A nanovirus developed by the Confederacy of Independent Systems designed specifically to kill the clones of Jango Fett. Its creator, Ovolot Qail Uthan, is captured by Republic Commandos before her research is complete, however. In later books in the series, it is revealed (though not to any of the main characters, but to the reader through both Palpatine's and Dr. Uthan's private journals), Chancellor Palpatine secretly chooses not to completely destroy all evidence or research of the virus, but rather opts to hold onto it as a back-up plan, should the clone army ever be turned against him.
Codon Zero Codon Zero
by Jim Hendee
Codon Zero is the name of the nucleotide sequence that encodes a plague that infects only Arabs and Jews which share a common genetic ancestry that began millennia ago. A secretive group of geneticists has developed this deadly disease (dubbed the Middle East Plague by The New York Times) to force the leaders of the Middle East into a binding peace. The geneticists claim that the afflicted will develop symptoms of dehydration, thirst, headache, dizziness and a decrease in appetite, and although they will feel deathly ill indefinitely, it should not prove fatal.
Cooties Various A term used by children in the USA, with varied meaning. "Cooties" generally refers to an invisible germ, bug, or microscopic monster, transferred by skin to skin contact, usually with a member of the opposite sex.[1]
Curse of the Warmbloods The Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins A disease created by Doctor Neveeve in the city of Regalia. She gave the disease to fleas, which instead of getting infected, spread the disease around warmblooded creatures, including people. Symptoms include purple blemishes, coughing, choking, and a swelled tongue. The cure was originally believed to be a plant named starshade, though the true cure was made in Regalia.
Dar-Kosis The Gor Series
by John Norman
Dar-kosis is a virulent, horrible, wasting disease and is similar in many ways to leprosy. It is taught by the Initiates (who claim to be the voice of the Priest-Kings of Gor) that Dar-Kosis is a holy disease.
Demon Pox The Infernal Devices

Cassandra Clare

Demon pox, also known as astriola, is a rare but debilitating disease that affects Shadowhunters and is caused by inappropriate contact with demons.

Mundanes are immune to the disease, as demon pox is assumed to be caused by the interaction of demon poisons with the angelic nature of Shadowhunters.

Descolada Speaker for the Dead
by Orson Scott Card
A quasi-conscious self-modifying organism capable of infecting any form of life. "Descolada" is also the Portuguese word for "unglued". In the context of the book, this refers to the Descolada virus's effects: it breaks the link of the DNA double helix (ungluing it) and induces mutations.
Despotellis Green Lantern Corps A sentient virus and a member of the Sinestro Corps. It could create non-sentient duplicates of itself creating a plague capable of killing infected victims within minutes, and can also destroy these duplicates, leaving no trace of their presence. Among the victims of its plague was Kyle Rayner's mother.
Diseasemaker's Croup Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman A disorder 'afflicting those who habitually and pathologically catalogue and construct diseases.' It is characterized by increasingly nonsensical speech and writing patterns and an obsessive insistence on trying to repeat previous statements out of context.
Dragon Pox The Harry Potter Series
by J.K. Rowling
Dragon pox is a potentially fatal contagious disease that occurs in wizards and witches. Its symptoms are presumably similar to Muggle illnesses like smallpox and chicken pox. However, in addition to leaving the victim's skin pockmarked, dragon pox causes a lasting greenish tinge. Simpler cases present with a green-and-purple rash between the toes and sparks coming out of the nostrils when the patient sneezes. Elderly patients are apparently more susceptible to dragon pox than younger ones. Gunhilda of Gorsemoor developed a cure for dragon pox, but the disease has not been completely eradicated, as is evidenced by the fact that it is still treated by the Magical Bugs ward at St. Mungo's Hospital.
Dryditch Fever Salamandastron
by Brian Jacques
A deadly disease causing weakness, hot flashes, chills, and dizziness. The victim is usually bedridden until eventual death. The only known cure are Flowers of Icetor boiled in spring water.
Fire-Us (Sounds like "Virus") Fire-Us series A viral infection that infects extremely fast and only infects those that produce sex hormones (i.e. those after puberty and women before menopause) or are taking medicine that include similar hormones. It was released by the President of the United States of America to start the world over, killing almost all adults within 2 weeks. As a result, children were left to fend for themselves, most of whom failed. Once all the targets of the virus were gone, it died out.
The Flare (virus VC321xb47) The Maze Runner series A highly contagious virus that infects the brain of its host, turning them into crazed blood-thirsty cannibals (essentially zombies) which are called Cranks. Less than 1% of the population is immune to the virus, and are called Munies. There is no cure for The Flare, but many wealthy people slow down the onslaught of the symptoms with an illegal drug called The Bliss, which slows down their brain activity. It was released by the governments of the world to help control overpopulation after the Sun Flares, but it eventually killed most of the people in the world.
Foul-Drought Heir of Mistmantle by M. I. McAllisterThe Heir of Mistmantle
by M. I. McAllister
Disease caused from drinking poisoned water. Animals who have it will have pain, blurry sight and some will eventually die.
Gray DeathThe Gray Death Gail Carson Levine's The Two Princesses of Bamarre Disease created from the noxious gas from the defeated dragon Yune's stomach. It comes on with no warning and is not contagious. There are three stages of the disease. The first stage is the weakness, and it can last anywhere from a week to six months. The second stage is the sleeping, and it always lasts nine days. The last stage is fever, and it always lasts three days. At the end of the fever stage, the victim will die. The only cure is water sent down from the fairies' Mount Ziriat. The cure will only be discovered when cowards find courage and rain falls over all Bamarre.
DX The Lost World
by Michael Crichton
An unknown prion dubbed "DX" by scientists on Isla Sorna. It is similar to mad cow disease and was the result of feeding ground-up sheep to carnivorous dinosaurs. DX increased the mortality rate of newborn dinosaurs and is eventually fatal to adult dinosaurs. In order to combat DX, InGen scientists released animals into the wild of Isla Sorna. The prion initially infected carnivorous dinosaurs such as velociraptors and procompsognathus, which would then spread the disease to herbivores such as apatosaurus, and the apatosaur carcasses would be eaten by compys, which would then spread the disease to other carcasses, and the cycle would repeat. Ian Malcolm said at the end of the novel that, because of the imbalance of carnivores and herbivores due to DX, the dinosaurs were doomed to die out.
Ebola Gulf A DC Comics Also known as "the Clench", due to the victims clenching their stomachs, Ebola Gulf is an evolved form of the ebola virus created by the terrorist mastermind Ra's Al Ghul after he consulted the Wheel of Plagues.
Greyscale A Song of Ice and Fire Greyscale is a typically nonfatal disease in the Song of Ice and Fire series. It is first introduced in Stannis Baratheon's daughter Shireen. When it infects children, greyscale generally leaves children malformed and disabled but alive. However, in A Dance with Dragons, it is revealed to be generally fatal to adults. The disease is contracted by touch and slowly turns the flesh (small patches in children and the entire body in adults) of the victim to stone. It is said that the disease also drives its adult victims insane.
Ghancroid, fake disease Andromeda StrainMany novels/movies
by authors
A fake disease, crystalline, extraterrestrial fatal genetic disease.
Herod's Flu (SHEVA) Darwin's Radio by Greg Bear A contagious, sexually transmitted human endogenous retrovirus (HERV) that causes flu-like symptoms and ultimately causes miscarriage of pregnancies. Though treated as a public health crisis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization, the virus is later revealed to be a mechanism which causes rapid speciation and accelerates evolution.
Great Plague The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien A mysterious disease which swept down through every single kingdom of Middle-earth during the mid 1600s of the Third Age of the Sun. The Plague's origins are unknown except it was possibly contracted from the Corsairs who attacked Gondor in Third Age 1634, two years before the Plague occurred. The Plague was 90% fatal for nearly all inhabitants of Middle-earth, especially in Gondor and the North.
Harlequin Harlequin Rex by Owen Marshall A progressive and fatal neurological disease which causes an re-awakening of primordial senses and behaviors, set in near-future Earth.[2]
Hourman Virus DC One Million Created by the living star Solaris, this plague was caused by nanomachines. It acted like both a biological virus and a computer virus, and could be spread to each type of victim by the other type. It was capable of wiping out humanity in twenty-four hours.
I-Pollen Degenerative Disorder DC Comics


The hero Spider Jerusalem has I-Pollen Degenerative Disorder, a disease he gained as a result of coming into contact with Information Pollen, pollen used to transmit information. In 98% of the cases, the disease will cause the victim to lose all motor and cognitive skills. It is comparable to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.
Inferno virus Inferno (Dan Brown novel) An airborne virus which incubated in water. It was released by the terrorist group the Consortium to kill off half of humanity and reproduce with only a third of ten individuals who were immune. The virus

was modeled on the Black Death. Originally, its creator, Bertrand Zobrist, planned to have it as a waterborne virus, but changed it to airborne because it could infect faster. The Inferno virus can infect a human through damp air, and then it renders humans infertile. The plan was for the infected to die off and humanity to be rendered extinct.

Kellis-Amberlee Feed
by Mira Grant
A spontaneous combination of two man-made viruses that exists in a 'reservoir condition' state without ill effects until the host's death, when any host over approximately 40 pounds undergoes virus amplification and becomes a zombie.
Legacy Virus Marvel Multiverse A disease that targets only mutants, causing genetic and biological degradation and eventual death; shortly before death, the virus' effects will cause a violent, uncontrolled flare-up of the victim's superhuman abilities. One strain of it can also infect humans, as it did to Moria McTaggart.
Life-Eater Virus Warhammer 40,000 novels The Life-eater virus is a form of necrotizing fasciitis that causes all biological matter to break down into its component parts, releasing toxic, flammable gas that can be ignited with a single explosion. The virus eats itself when there is nothing else to attack. It is quite effective against Tyrranids. In the short-story anthology Planetkill, an updated strain goes after the soul, turning the population into zombies, created by a Techpriest inhabited by a daemonic Unclean One.
Leezle Pon Green Lantern Corps A super-evolved smallpox virus with intelligence and sentience; it is a member of the Green Lantern Corps which played a pivotal role in defeating Despotellis.
Lycanthropy Various The general term for the condition that causes a human to transform into a werewolf. Regarded as a curse or the result of evil magic in folklore, if is often regarded as a infectious disease spread by other werewolves in modern werewolf fiction.
Krytos virus Star Wars Expanded Universe"Star Wars Expanded Universe" The Krytos virus was a deadly and highly contagious virus that only attacked non-human species. It could spread via a number of avenues, including by water supplies and by air. The virus often killed its host in less than two weeks, resulting in a painful death.
Maternal Death Syndrome (MDS) Testament of Jessie Lamb by Jane RogersThe Testament of Jessie Lamb
by Jane Rogers
Latent in everyone and triggered upon pregnancy, it causes rapid progressive brain degeneration and is invariably fatal to both mother and child. possibly a strain of JC virus.
Middle East Plague Codon Zero
by Jim Hendee
(See Codon Zero, above.)
Red DeathThe Red Death Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe"The Masque of the Red Death"
by Edgar Allan Poe
Victims bleed from their pores before eventually dying. most likely a Viral hemorrhagic fever
RipleyThe Ripley Dreamcatcher
by Stephen King
Neurodermatitis Dark Benediction (1951)
by Walter Miller Jr.
A pathogen causing rapid nervous system evolution and development of new sensory organs, which causes synesthetic psychosis in unprepared hosts. Sent to Earth by an alien race living in symbiosis with it, in the hopes of furthering other races' advance. Designed for controlled delivery, it is turned into a plague by a curious retriever's cutting the vessel with an hacksaw.
Pale Mare (also known as the Bloody flux) A Song of Ice and Fire This is a cholera-like disease transmitted through water. It causes diarrhea and intestinal bleeding, which soon lead to death. It is common during wars.
Ratititis Roald Dahl's Boy A fictional disease invented by Roald Dahl's friend Thwaites during their schooldays in Llandaff. Thwaites made this up to amuse Roald and the other friends, but he says his dad told him about the disease, which is apparently contracted from eating liquorice bootlaces. Thwaites says that the bootlaces actually have rat's blood rather than licquorice, and they are done this way by rat-catchers bringing their rats to the sweet factory where they pound the rats into a paste, then mash it up to form licquorice bootlaces. Thwaites told Roald and his friends never to eat them, because if they did, a rat's tail would burst out of their buttocks and their teeth would turn into fangs. Only Roald and his friends saw the joke; Thwaites took it with deadpan humour.
Salt Plague Spiritwalker Trilogy
by Kate Elliott
Disease which feeds on the salt in its host's body. The host eventually loses their humanity and becomes violently hungry, seeking the salty blood of others. The plague is spread by its victim's bites.
Scarlet Plague Scarlet Plague by Jack LondonThe Scarlet Plague
by Jack London
This 1912 novella, also known as the Scarlet Death, is a work of post-apocalyptic fiction treating the world after civilization has been destroyed by this fictional disease.
Shame The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
by Douglas Adams
Mentioned as being "still a terminal disease in some parts of the Galaxy," this disease seems rife amongst the population of Betelgeuse 5, the fifth planet of the sun Betelgeuse. It killed off the father of Ford Prefect when he was so ashamed that Ford could not say his birth name, "Ix", and this embarrassed Ford and resulted in him being mocked during school.
Shiva Rainbow Six
by Tom Clancy
Snow Crash Snow Crash
by Neal Stephenson
A dangerous drug which is both a computer virus capable of infecting the brains of unwary hackers in the Metaverse and a mind-altering virus distributed by a network of Pentecostal churches via its infrastructure and belief system. Both forms cause glossolalia, and the computer virus form appears as a snowy pattern of pixels.]
Super-smallpox Stormbreaker A genetically engineered version of the smallpox virus which Iraq made in the Gulf War. Herod Sayle

used the disease in his plans for vengeance. He genetically modified it so it would kill whoever it infected immediately. Fortunately, the plan was stopped by Alex and the virus was taken and quarantined by MI6.

Spattergroit Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows A disease that covers the victim in purple pustules and renders them unable to speak. It may be a type of fungus, as Ron Weasley says that the effect of being unable to speak occurs “once the fungus has spread to your uvula”. The only known cure, according to the portrait of a Healer in St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, is to bind the liver of a toad around the victim's throat and stand nude in a barrel of eel's eyes under a full moon. The portrait said that he believed Ron had this disease, due to the "unsightly blemishes" on his face. Ron would later use this disease in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows as an excuse as to why he was unable to return to Hogwarts, when in actuality he and his friends were out searching for Lord Voldemort's Horcruxes.
Solanum Virus World War Z/The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks A virus which has existed since the beginning of human history, which is highly contagious through bodily fluids such as blood. Solanum symptoms include dementia, paralysis in the extremities, and discoloration of the wound, which increase as the virus replicates itself. The virus is centered on the brain, and destroys the cells of the brain and replaces them with the virus. In doing so, the infected victims are declared clinically dead. The virus takes around sixteen hours to replicate, although it varies from individual to individual. Once Solanum has fully replicated, the victim awakes from the coma, with an unquenchable desire for human flesh. The victim also exhibits typical zombie-like behavior such as psychotic behavior and mindless rage, and can only be killed by destruction of the brain.
Stone Sickness The Edge Chronicles by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell Not a human disease, but one which affects humans and other inhabitants of the Edge by attacking the rocks of the flight ships which is the primary means of transport and communication on the Edge. As the flight ships are carried aloft by the rocks, this puts an end to business and trade, resulting in a brief societal collapse followed by a gradual rebuilding of society when the Edge's inhabitants become accustomed to life with Stone-sickness. Symptoms of infected flight rocks include a brief scar, followed by an open wound and a gaping hole as the rock dissolves. Eventually the sky ship drops clean out of the sky. Many theories abound on the origin of Stone-sickness. Some people blame the gods. Others blame the Mother Storm, the mysterious meteorlogical creator of the Edge. Some say that the sky pirate captain Cloud Wolf who perished in the Mother Storm somehow infected her and the Stone-sickness is a result of his pestilence. It is only at the end of the series that it is revealed the Gloamglozer created the disease and it had been incubating inside the Stone Gardens ever since he fled the city of Sanctaphrax almost a century before the sickness.
Stripes A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon An unnamed disease that causes the affected individual to change color/pattern when names of patterns are used. Apparently it can only be cured and prevented by lima beans.
"T4 Angel Virus" Hollows (series) by Kim Harrison The result of genetic engineering, the T4 Angel Virus was spread by infected tomatoes. It wiped out a large percentage of humanity, along with the elves and several other species which had been secretly coexisting. Other species unaffected by the virus, such as witches, vampires, and werewolves, soon equaled humanity's depleted numbers and began living openly. Tomatoes are still feared and shunned by humans throughout the series.
"Teen Plague" Black Hole by Charles Burns Also known as the "bug." It is a mutagenic STD which causes grotesque mutations, such as extra body parts, to grow all over the body. Seems to affect only teenagers.
The Sickness/Imperial bioweapons project I71A/Project: Blackwing Death Troopers, Red Harvest A virus artificially created by the Sith Lord Darth Drear thousands of years ago in order to achieve immortality. Centuries later, Darth Scabrous successfully completed Drear's unfinished work, but accidentally modified it into a semi-sentient hive mind that creates zombies. The Sith academy on Odacin-Fauster was wiped out by the plague. Thousands of years later, Darth Vader commissioned the Empire's bioweapons division to recreate the virus. Upon completion, the virus was loaded onto the Star Destroyer Vector for transport to a testing site. En route, the tanks leaked and the Destroyer's crew was zombified. The virus is characterized by grey goo.
V-CIDS ImmortalsThe Immortals An AIDS-like virus.
Vampiris I Am Legend
by Richard Matheson
A bacillus (rod-shaped) bacterium that causes photosensitivity, hysterical blindness near mirrors, overdevelopment of canine teeth, and production of a bulletproof adhesive. Victims feed on blood. While in the body, it is anaerobic, and causes the victim to exhibit zombie-like behavior. Outside the body, it sporulates into dust. If an infected person is cut deep enough, the bacteria turns them into powder. Can be treated, but not cured, with a pill containing a fusion inhibitor and dehydrated blood.
Venus Particle Tyrannosaur Canyon An extraterrestrial infectious particle found in a lunar rock sample and within a fantastically well-preserved tyrannosaur fossil in the New Mexico desert. It is later revealed that the organism came to Earth via the Chicxulub asteroid which wiped out the dinosaurs. The particle, which was named for its resemblance to the symbol of Venus and femininity, causes rapid mitosis and apparent cellular differentiation in its host.
Vitiligo ImmortalsThe Immortals[disambiguation needed] An AIDS-like virus that causes the loss of skin color in blotches. The extent and rate of color loss from vitiligo is unpredictable. It can affect the skin on any part of your body. It may also affect hair, teeth and even the eyes.
(unknown) Please Save My Earth (Boku no Chikyū o Mamotte)
by Saki Hiwatari
A mysterious, highly infectious disease that moves quickly through a group and kills its host. The disease's origin, genetic make-up, and its vector are unknown, as is its longevity once outside the host body, but speculation is that it can continue to live on inert/non-biologic surfaces (such as plastic, glass, cement, etc.) in a dormant state long after it has no living host to latch onto. The only known cure for this unnamed disease was developed by the doctor, Shukaido, who succumbed to the disease soon after developing the cure. Tragically, the cure only lasts for approximately seven years before its effects wear off, and the suppressed disease in the victim's system re-emerges at full strength, killing him/her. The last known victim of this plague was Shion.
TS-19 The Walking Dead A (presumably viral) disease of unknown origin. When a human is infected by it, the disease will infect all cells, eventually resulting in the clinical death of the host. The symptoms that occur before the victim's clinical death, include fever, headache, fatigue, confusion, hallucinations and paralysis. The disease has a very short incubation period of around 16 hours. After the victim's clinical death, the host will be revitalized and will wake up exhibiting zombie-like behavior. However the disease will only activate lower brain function, mostly those controlled by the brain-stem, where feeding and motor functions are controlled. The host becomes a violent mindless cannibal, and can infect other people by biting. The disease leads to society's collapse and results in a world stricken by a zombie apocalypse.
White Blindness Blindness
by José Saramago
A mysterious epidemic of sudden blindness affecting virtually all humanity, leading to society's collapse. So-called because victims see nothing but a white glare. Not to be confused with the White Blindness in Watership Down which is a name the rabbits use for the real illness Myxomatosis which affects rabbits causing blindness and death.
Wildcard coccus A Certain Magical Index
by Kazuma Kamachi
It is a highly virulent killer bacterium. Its method of infection was very complex and it would mix in with other microorganisms and multiply. It could be transmitted via air, blood, mouth, or skin contact. It could grow even more dangerous by combining with Athlete’s foot, Lactobacillus, or other extremely common pathogens.
Plague of Insomnia One Hundred Years of Solitude
by Gabriel García Márquez
An epidemic brought into the Buendía household and the town of Macondo by Rebeca; the adopted daughter of José Arcadio Buendía and Úrsula Iguarán. This plague, originally coming from the northern Indian kingdoms in La Guajira (Colombia), is identified by the symptoms of wide-open, glowing eyes like those of a cat, and the impossibility of sleeping. Those infected (in the novel consisting of the entire town of Macondo) feel no tiredness or sleepiness whatsoever and hence can work all day and night. However, as time advances, those infected begin to lose all their memories and knowledge of the world; ultimately leaving them in a state in which they have forgotten the names and uses of all things and their own identities. The plague is generally seen as one of the most prominent demonstrations of magical realism in García Márquez's literary works.
White Disease White Disease by Karel ČapekThe White Disease
by Karel Čapek
An incurable form of leprosy, killing people older than 30.
White Plague White Plague by Frank HerbertThe White Plague
by Frank Herbert
A genetically engineered virus that kills only women. Released only on Irish, English, and Libyan populace.
White Sickness Burning Bright
by Melissa Scott
White-Sickness, a pneumatic histopathy, also known as lung‑rot oruhanjao, translatable as "drown‑yourself" in the language of the story's aliens – is classified as a dangerous condition less because it is fatal, which it is, than because it is contagious until treated. Simple organ transplants inevitably fail, due to the mechanisms by which the disease alters the lung tissue, slowly dissolving it into a thick white mucus, so that the patient drowns in body fluids even as the lungs themselves stop working.
Xenovirus Takis-A Wild Cards by George R. R. MartinWild Cards
by George R. R. Martin
Xenovirus Takis-A, also known as the wild card virus, works by completely altering the victim's DNA. It's been theorized that the process is guided by the victim's own subconscious, influenced by the person's desires or fears. In this way, the virus works as a modern Aladdin's Lamp. The transformation is extremely individual, no two persons are affected in exactly the same way. In 90% of cases, the victim's body can't assimilate the extreme changes, and the person dies horribly. These cases are called black queens. From the survivors, 9 out of 10 are changed for the worse, becoming monstrous creatures nicknamed jokers. The miraculous 1% of infected are changed for the better and become aces, gifted with superhuman physical or mental capabilities while still remaining human in appearance.
Xenovirus Takis-B Wild Cards by George R. R. MartinWild Cards
by George R. R. Martin
Xenovirus Takis-B, also known as the trump virus, is an artificial organism created by Dr. Tachyon as a possible cure for the wild card virus. Ideally, the trump virus reverses the genetic changes caused by the wild card virus, transforming a wild carder back into a normal person. The trump virus is only successful in about twenty-four percent of attempts. Forty-seven percent of the time it doesn’t work at all, and an appalling twenty-nine percent of the time, it outright kills the patient. In other words, it’s more likely to kill than cure. The Jokertown Clinic only uses the trump virus as a last resort, in the most severe cases where the victim has nothing to lose.

In film[edit]

Name Source Symptoms
ComaThe Coma PlagueClive Barker's The Plague Affects all children. Induces a 10-year coma, after which the children simultaneously wake up and desire to kill all adults.
Carnosaur virus Carnosaur A genetically engineered virus created by Dr. Jane Tiptree. Infects fertile women of child-bearing age (including Dr. Tiptree herself), making them pregnant with a dinosaur. Rather than being born, upon maturation the dinosaurs tear their way out of the womb, killing the woman in the process.
Fever"The Fever" Cabin Fever Cabin fever 2:Spring fever Necrotizing fasciitis caused by a unknown bacterium which causes massive hemorrhaging and tissue necrosis. The first symptom of the disease is usually a painful rash, which develops into a scabby or weeping wound. In later stages, tissues become soft and slough away. The initial rash stage can be exacerbated by harsh physical trauma, as was seen when one afflicted woman discovered hand-shaped rashes on her body, where she had recently been tightly held during a passionate sexual encounter. It also seemed to indicate that physical exertion also accelerates the progression of the disease. The disease is transmitted when an infected creatures' blood is exposed to a victim's bloodstream (bare skin contact with infectious blood is implied to not result in infection). It can also be contracted through unprotected sexual activity and by drinking contaminated water. The disease spreads cross-species and was initially discovered in a dead dog. Where the dog contracted the disease is unknown. Despite the name of the franchise, fever is never indicated as being a symptom of the disease.
NRS and UBT Demolition Man These are the names of two STD epidemics that occurred during the thirty-six years Spartan was incarcerated via cybergenics, and both were presumably just as bad as the HIV outbreak, both of which made sex, kissing, and even touching each other both illegal and greatly feared by the populace.
Geostigma Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children A disease caused by Jenova's presence in the Lifestream as it rose to destroy Meteor in the ending of Final Fantasy VII. Decreases the efficiency of the body's immune system-like inner Lifestream current. Also causes exhaustion and black sores appearing on the skin. Mostly affects children due to their weaker constitutions. Healed by Aerith Gainsborough's Great Gospel healing rain. "The Stigma. It's a symptom of alien matter infesting the body. The body tries to eliminate it, and overcompensates. Inside our bodies is a current like the Lifestream. That current is what fights off any malevolent intruders." - Vincent Valentine
Hemoglophagia (HGV) Ultraviolet Disease responsible for turning many humans into vampire-like creatures. Contrary to most vampiral diseases, hemoglophagia drastically shortens the lifespan of an infected individual to little over a decade.
The Host's Disease The Host The unnamed disease carried by the giant monster terrorizing South Korea. In actuality, there was no virus; the government claimed the monster was spreading a disease just to save face.
Herpes Simplex 10 Beverly Hills Cop A type of venereal disease where a person's body parts can fall off.
Infertility epidemic Children of Men A mysterious epidemic has led to worldwide infertility in women. The human race has lost the ability to reproduce.
Krippin Virus (KV) I Am Legend A genetically re-engineered measles virus originally created as a "miracle cure" for cancer, but mutated into a lethal, highly pathogenic strain. KV has a 90% mortality rate; less than 1% of humans are immune. Two transmission vectors for the pathogen are inhalation and infected blood, with two corresponding immunity profiles. Infected humans who did not die began exhibiting early symptoms of rabies and degenerated into a state driven by rage. A major symptom is that the adrenal glands are "permanently open", giving victims increased strength, speed and agility but also a faster metabolism. This results in increased body temperature, heart rate, and breathing speed, making those infected hyperventilate constantly. Pupils became permanently dilated and skin became hypersensitive to UV radiation, forcing infected hosts into a nocturnal life cycle. Loss of body hair is another symptom. Non-humans such as rats and dogs are also susceptible to KV. They are sensitive to blood. These infected are similar to vampires.
Lampington's Disease Last Holiday In the original 1950 film, the disease seems to have been a tumor in the abdomen (the patient's x-ray is used to indicate something "between the stomach and the small intestine," although a shot of the pelvis is actually being shown). Here, it is an untreatable, terminal condition which is nearly pain-free, but which leads to coma and death within a couple of weeks to a couple of months at the most. It is explained as a recently discovered condition, described by and named for Sir Trevor Lampington, a character who also appears in the plot. In the 2006 remake, the disease has morphed into a neurological disease causing multiple brain tumors, rapidly progressing to death within a few weeks if not treated with an exorbitantly expensive operation.
MacGregor's Syndrome Batman & Robin A four-stage disease that Mr. Freeze's wife, Nora, was suffering from and was placed in cryogenic stasis for. The film also revealed that Batman's butler, Alfred Pennyworth, was also suffering from Stage-1 MacGregor's. Mr. Freeze successfully created the antidote for Stage-1 of the disease, and gave some of it to Batman as an apology for thinking that Batman killed Nora (which was actually a lie fabricated by Poison Ivy).
Mad Zombie Disease Zombieland (film) The disease which caused people, upon receiving a bite from one of the infected, to become zombies. The disease is a mutation of Mad Cow Disease, which became Mad Human Disease, and then mutated to form Mad Zombie Disease.
Malignalitaloptereosis The Sword in
the Stone
A rare disease which causes the victim to break out in spots, followed by hot and cold flashes, then violent sneezing. During the wizard's duel, Merlin had transformed himself into the germ that caused this disease and infected Madam Mim with it, causing her to become sick and lose the duel.
Meningoencephalitis Virus One Contagion A highly contagious and lethal paramyxovirus that infects both the lungs and the brain, causing coughing, fever and severe headache, progressing over the period of a few hours to seizures and ultimately death.
Methuselah Syndrome Blade Runner A genetic disease resembling progeria that causes faster aging
Motaba Outbreak A deadly, virulent Ebola-like virus from the jungles of Zaire, which later infected a fictional California town within a few days.
Neurological Degeneration Syndrome, or NDS Absolon A highly-contagious airborne virus, released into the atmosphere from the destruction of the Amazon rain forest causes quick and painful deaths. The only way of controlling the virus is expensive, daily, painful injections of the drug Absolon. Society has been rebuilt on the sale of Absolon, a multibillion dollar + industry. A detective Christopher Lambert searches for the killer who murdered the scientist who has found a cure for NDS, potentially making Absolon worthless.
Patriot The Patriot (1998) A unnamed highly contagious airborne virus which has been stolen from a government biological warfare laboratory. Its early symptoms include a rash, and it is quickly fatal. It is not clear in the film whether the virus was supposed to have been harvested from the wild (such as Ebola) and then grown as a weapon, or whether the laboratory first engineered it in some way. In the film, the leader of a local militia has obtained both the virus and what he believes to be a vaccine for it, and decides to start an epidemic with the virus, believing that he will be safe because he has taken the vaccine. A local doctor of Indian (Native American) ancestry fights to find a cure for it.
Rage (Human Cortico-Deficiency Virus) 28 Days Later
28 Weeks Later
Rage causes extreme aggression in a victim ten to thirty seconds after being Infected with the disease. The disease is easily transmissible through any bodily fluid, except apparently semen. Because of this extreme contagiousness and very short incubation time, a crowd of hundreds could be infected by one single individual in a manner of minutes. A graphic novel based on the films purports that Rage is a recombinant strain of Ebola, though its symptoms are similar to that of rabies. Animal testing was being performed on the disease but one animal was released by activists unaware of the virus. The infection soon spread to eliminate the entire population of Britain save a few lucky individuals who managed to survive. Infected organisms die out in a few months, succumbing to starvation, since they do not actually eat their victims. They also seem to drool blood constantly.
Reaper Doomsday Reaper causes effects similar to bubonic plauge. It appeared in Scotland in the year 2008 and killed most of the inhabitants. Scotland was put under quarantine. Some decades later, Reaper reappears in London. A cure is found several days later, but it is unknown whether or not it will be given to the population.
Red Death Osmosis Jones Thrax, the film's antagonist, was a strain of this disease. Symptoms include eventual extreme increase in body temperature. Most likely a strain of streptococcus
Say the Opposite of What You Mean Disease Ace Ventura: Pet Detective A disease which causes the speaker to say the opposite of the correct answer to a question posed by another party. This disease was thought up on the spot by Ace after he realizes that the people in the bar think poorly of Ray Finkle.
ALZ-112, ALZ-113, "The Simian Flu" Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes A genetically engineered retrovirus that was engineered in Gen-sys Laboratories. It was originally designed to be a cure for Alzheimer's disease. The ALZ-112 increased intelligence in apes and cured humans but only for a temporary period because of their immune system is undo the retro-virus. ALZ-113 was a stronger version of the drug, but it developed into a viral airborne and contact strain that wiped out 90% of earth's human population leaving 10% immune to the virus. In humans it developed symptoms including, headache, sore throat, fever, vomiting, red eyes, coughing and finally death. In apes it increases their intelligence beyond that of a normal humans, makes their irises green and alters their vocal cords to that of a humans.
"Stick It To the Man-Neosis" School of Rock Not actually a real disease, but one invented by Dewey to allow his class of budding rockstars into the Battle of the Bands. Dewey's urges to allow the children into the gig was backed up by a very loose explanation that the kids suffered from a "very rare disease" - Stick It To the Man-Neosis
SP-43 Derailed (2002) SP-43 is a modified form of smallpox (variola) that has an extremely short incubation period. Its development is part of the back story, which is not completely clear, but given the fact that it appears to have been stolen in Slovakia and is being transported to Munich by a NATO agent, it appears to have been developed by the Czechoslovak government or some other Eastern Block country during the Cold War.
Space Dementia Armageddon A disease whose symptoms include extreme recklessness (in space) and unlike actual dementia the ability to reference old movies at choice moments. Steve Buscemi's character Rockhound suffered this disease on the asteroid as proclaimed William Fitchner's character Col. Willie Sharp.
Space Rabies Howard the Duck Disease Howard claims to have in order to intimidate would-be attackers and make an escape. He claims it causes "agonizing death in fifteen seconds".
St. Mary's V for Vendetta A biological weapon engineered and released by the Norsefire party as a means of clandestinely gaining control over their own country.
Synaptic/Neuro Overstimulation Syndrome (SOS/NOS) Repo! The Genetic Opera A disease of unknown origin that killed roughly ten million people at the beginning of the 21st century in the Repo!-verse. It creates massive organ failure and apparently has no cure, though it can be treated by organ transplants.
Synaptic Seepage Johnny Mnemonic Caused by downloading too much information into the brain. Causes cerebral haemorrhage and data corruption. It kills in approximately three days, and causes intermittent seizures.
T-Virus Resident Evil movies An artificial virus created by Umbrella. When a human is infected by it, the virus will destroy all cells, killing the host. Among two and four hours, all cells will be revitalized. But the virus will only activate one brain function: the hypothalamus, where feeding is controlled. The host becomes a violent mindless cannibal, and can infect other people by biting. Because of this effect, the virus was called the "cannibal disease".
Trixie The Crazies, The Crazies (remake) A highly contagious "Rhabdoviridae prototype" biological weapon. Causes those exposed to it to become homicidal.
Unknown Daybreakers A mysterious plaque spreading like an epidemic, transforms the majority of the world's human population into vampires.
Thing cells ThingThe Thing Triangle-pyramid viruses that makes up Thing monsters. If it enters another animal, it fuses with every cell of the host, possessing the host entirely. Each infected cell becomes an individual life form with its own desire to survive. An infected cell will seek out other cells to infect with its virus, and will work together with other infected cells to imitate other life forms. Because infected cells can rapidly duplicate and shapeshift, and because dislocated, pieces of an infected host will shapeshift and become separate entities. Infected hosts can only be killed if every individual cell is destroyed. Finally, hosts retain their knowledge and memories, allowing the virus to perfectly imitate any person and remain undetected. The only effective way of killing the Thing monsters is through incineration, for instance with a flamethrower.
(unknown) Transporter 2 Created by scientists working for an assassin named Gianni, this unnamed airborne virus kills everyone it infects within 48 hours. The Colombian drug cartel hires Gianni and his minions to use the virus to assassinate Jefferson Billings, the director of the National Drug Control Policy and all of the attendees of a major anti-drug conference. An antidote was also created, just in case, but was retrieved by the Billing Family's personal driver, Frank Martin.
(unknown) What's So Bad About Feeling Good? A highly contagious virus, carried over from South America via a Toucan, causes intense feelings of giddiness, happiness and kindness in those affected.
(unknown) Black Sheep An unknown disease of unknown strain which has symptoms which include a delirium, loss of consciousness and sickness, a pale complexion, and sweaty symptoms. The disease is contracted from rabid sheep, which are carnivorous, and these have been created by the film's antagonist Angus Oldfield. The sheep can contract the disease to humans by biting them. Once bitten, the disease eats away at one's brain and manifests in roughly twenty-four hours after infection. The disease is quite rapid, and once fully infected, one transforms into a "were-sheep" which is a humanoid, furry sheep monster, which can attack people on sight. Scientists working with Angus developed a cure, which was eventually given to all infected.
(unknown) Shaun of the Dead A blood-borne viral epidemic of unknown origins; it gives the victim a "splitting headache" and makes them vomit and gradually they become paralyzed and become zombies. The disease transformed half of London into zombies in the film. The incubation of the disease varies from person to person; with the first onset it took hours before infection; but in its later infection it took a matter of minutes. The disease's symptoms are a high fever, and dementia, and can be transmitted through saliva and contact with the infected such as bites. The victim can only be killed by destroying the brain. The zombies act typical of zombies such as cannibalism and insanity.
(unknown, called "Conversationalism" by the film's director) Pontypool A contagious disease spread through use of the English language (origin is unknown). The disease initially presents with the repeating of a word or short phrase (usually a term of endearment like "sweetheart"), followed by severe aphasia and confusion, and finally causing a psychotic belief that the only way to solve their problem is to chew out the mouths of other people. By deliberately mismatching words with their meanings, a cure was found. Unfortunately, before the cure could be spread to the public, the town was wiped out by the army in an attempt to stop the spread of the disease.
Wexler's Curtain (Autotoxic Hematosa) Short Time "A progressive blood disorder in which the lymphatic system actually attacks the red blood cells, mistaking them for an invading virus. It’s very rare. As the disease progresses, the lining of the cells become weakened to the point where they can no longer oxygenate the body, this of course, includes the brain."

In television[edit]

Name Source Symptoms
Amoria Phlebitis The Simpsons Amoria phlebitis is characterized by sharp, stabbing pains in the stomach, a shooting pain in the arm and temporary loss of vision.
Barclay's Protomorphosis Syndrome Star Trek: The next Generation A viral infection that causes an infected person to "de-evolve". Caused by a synthetic T-cell which mistakenly activated entrons in one's system. Named for Lt. Reginald Barclay who first contracted the disease when he was administered the synthetic T-cell due to a genetic condition which left own inactive. Said synthetic T-cell caused all dormant entrons to activate rather than the defective T-cell.
Bendii Syndrome Star Trek: The Next Generation A degenerative neurological illness that occasionally afflicts some elderly Vulcans. Symptoms include a gradual loss of emotional control and a telepathic influence on non-Vulcans to exhibit similar emotional volatility. Ambassador Sarek of Vulcan is diagnosed with this illness, so he preserves his memories through a mind-meld with Captain Picard. Sarek later dies from this illness while Picard is deep in Romulan space in search of his friend's son, Spock. Days after breaking the news to Spock of Sarek's passing, Spock and Picard meld so they can share Sarek's memories.
Big Death Jeremiah A supervirus which affects everyone on Earth over the age of puberty. It spreads quickly and is almost 100% fatal, although there are apparently some carriers who do not develop the disease. After the disease has run its course it disappears, allowing those then reaching puberty to survive, although there is a constant threat of it returning.
Bliss Virus Doctor Who: Gridlock Appeared around five billion years into the future on New Earth. It began when New Earthlings developed a new mood-drug called Bliss. The world became addicted to it and, in Novice Hame's words, "A virus mutated inside the compound and became airborne. Everything died. Even the virus in the end. It killed the world in seven minutes flat."
Blue Shadow Virus Star Wars: The Clone Wars A lethal virus capable of killing a planet's entire population. Eradicated prior to the Clone Wars, it was recreated by the insane Separatist scientist Dr. Nuvo Vindi as a weapon against the Republic. Can only be cured with the root of the reeksa plant. Symptoms include muscular weakness, cough, and fainting, and if not cured in time, the victim will die. In its original liquid-bound form, it could kill a life-form almost instantly.
Bone-itis Futurama In the Future Stock episode, "80's Guy" suffers from bone-itis and cryogenically freezes himself in order to sustain his life until a cure is found. Upon waking up, however, he neglects to have it cured, and dies suddenly as his bones contort horrifically. Not to be confused with osteitis.
Bonerplasia Saturday Night Live In the October 4, 2008 episode, Bonerplasia is a fictional condition which is allegedly a kind of chronic priapism. A man (played by Jason Sudeikis) used it as a fake explanation for why he constantly got erections around a woman, Amber (played by Anne Hathaway), he was secretly attracted to though claiming to be gay. However, she honestly believed him, because she "read the Bonerplasia article on Wikipedia", only for the man to then reveal "I actually wrote that article".
Bonus Eruptus (The Simpsons) A likely made-up condition described by Dr. Nick Riviera in 22 Short Films About Springfield where the victim's skeleton tries to leap out of the body through the mouth and run away.
Bowden's Malady Firefly A degenerative disease that affects the bone and muscle, the only known treatment being a drug called Pescaline D. The disease is considered a "quirk" of planetary terraforming – the result of underground air mixing up with a mine's ore processors.
Chickenpox Codename Kids Next Door ("Operation: M.A.U.R.I.C.E.") This is a fictional strain of common chickenpox; it is spread by contact with live chickens, and the boils on the victim's skin resemble live, cackling chicken faces. Otherwise, it is the same as regular chickenpox.
Circusitis Futurama (Proposition Infinity) Circusitis is a disease that affects "children of all ages." Circusitis' symptoms include red nose, swollen feet, orange hair, extremely pale face, and sneezing handkerchiefs which make all look like a stereotypical clown.
Cluckitis The Muppet Show A victim of this highly contagious disease turns into a chicken; victims retain their true voices and mannerisms, but some develop chicken-like habits, like building nests. After almost every Muppet catches it, guest star Roger Miller (who claims to have had it once) assures Kermit that it goes away by itself in a few days. Also, because Gonzo doesn't catch it, and he tends to hang around chickens a lot, he likely has developed an immunity to it.
Condiment Dysfunction Soyracha (TV Commercial) Condiment Dysfunction is the inability to salivate due to a lack of flavor.
Cordilla Virus 24 The Cordilla virus was a type 3 immuno-pulmonary virus that is similar to the Hantavirus. The incubation period of the virus was initially 14 hours but decreased significantly as a result of a weaponized variant added. The symptoms of the virus were nose-bleeds, hemorrhaging, skin abscesses and eventually death.
Cosmic rust Transformers A disease which affects Cybertronians and possibly other mechanical lifeforms caused by a micro organism that feeds on metal. If left untreated an infected transformer eventually crumbles into a pile of rust.
Croatoan virus Supernatural A virus that is Demonic in origin. It creates an unnatural murderous rage in infected people.
Cutie Pox My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic A magic-borne disease that affects the ponies of Equestria, causing them to sprout Cutie Marks all over their body and uncontrollably act out the talents that they represent. It disappears on its own, but can be quickly cured by consuming a flower sprouted from the Seeds of Truth. Apple Bloom accidentally infected herself with Cutie Pox when she used a magic plant called Heart's Desire to create a potion that would give her a Cutie Mark; she confessed to stealing the Heart's Desire from Zecora in order to sprout the Seeds of Truth and gain the cure.
Cybonic Plague Transformers: Prime A virus developed by Megatron as a biological weapon. Optimus Prime falls victim to the plague, and Bumblebee persuades Megatron to give him the formula, allowing Ratchet to develop a cure.
Dave's Syndrome Black Books A condition which is known to affect Manny, it is triggered by being exposed to a temperature of at least 88°F (31°C). While the exact effects of the disease are not described, a scene at the end of the episode shows the results — Manny is driven to madness and totally ransacks the area outside the shop, before using a hot water bottle as a loincloth, grabbing a flaming torch and painting "EAT ME" on his stomach, whilst jumping on the roof of an abandoned car. Bernard dismisses it as "attention-seeking rubbish" throughout the episode.
Deep Space Disorder Planetes A condition which is known to affect Hachirota "Hachimaki" Hoshino after an accident in lunar orbit, on the dark side of the moon, during a solar storm which left him isolated in complete darkness. He is retrieved with negligible physical effects, but is diagnosed with Deep Space Disorder, a mental disorder that can cripple an EVA astronaut with severe hallucinations.
Dermatemeculitis Drake & Josh A skin disease that causes the hands and feet of the body to turn a sickly green color. This can usually only be cured by a series of painful injections. A rumored alternate cure is to soak the hands and feet in buckets of a substance called zypholic acid, which can be found in lizard urine. The hands and feet must be soaked for no less than 45 minutes. Megan tricks Drake into thinking he has this disease because he ate a cookie that was hers, and later states, "You know, there's another cure: Next time, don't eat my big cookie."
Desperation Disease Eureka 7 A disease that strikes randomly and has no known vector of contagion. Individuals gradually become detached from the world until they are completely catatonic. The name of the disease does not come from the victims' state, who seem to be communing with something metaphysical, but rather, from their families who despair of trying to wake them.
Unknown (likely not named) Darkwing Duck, "Getting Antsy" After the villain Lilliput uses a shrinking ray to shrink Darkwing Duck to microscopic size, the hero befriends two germs who help him "invent" a disease that makes Lilliput sick and easily subdued. The disease includes rashes, fever, and flu-like symptoms. Unfortunately, it turns out to be contagious, and at the end of the episode, makes the whole cast sick, including Darkwing.
Dark Gundam Cells Mobile Fighter G Gundam Nanomachines from the Devil Gundam (Dark Gundam in North American dub) infect living organisms and undergo mitosis, allowing the Devil Gundam to control the victim. The victim will gain super-strength and self-recovery abilities and if inside a Mobile Fighter, will spread the cells to the Mobile Fighter and give it the abilities of the Devil Gundam, often mutating the Mobile Fighter into a stronger robot. If the cells have not reached the brain, the victim can be cured.
Diminished Gluteal Syndrome (DGS) King of the Hill Is a fictional genetic disorder, characterised by a person being born without buttocks. The disease has no cure or treatment, although fake, silicone buttocks are able to relieve pain caused by sitting on the spine. Hank Hill is a sufferer.
Double Prison Plague (Shackelitis) Hogan's Heroes Episode: The Prisoner's Prisoner A fictional disease invented by Colonel Hogan. In the early stages, the victim's neck will swell but the victim will not feel any different. In the second stage, the victim's body heat will go up dramatically, followed by loss of movement in the legs and furious chills. It can kill in a matter of two days. Colonel Hogan invents the disease in order to fool German General Schmidt into revealing the location of his latest offensive.
Drafa Plague Babylon 5 Neutralizes chemicals in the synaptic gap, thus inhibiting nerve signals from the brain to the rest of the body. Without such signals from the brain as a result of the signals being blocked, the organs lose their ability to function correctly. For those that which used specialized cells to produce neurotransmitters, the disease is 100% contagious, and if left untreated 100% terminal. Fortunately for most of the other sentient races, their lack of such specialized neurotransmitter cells render them immune to the disease.

It bears a stigma among the Markab (who were wiped out by it) similar to HIV/AIDS among humans, as a disease only caught by those considered sinful, immoral or unclean by Markab standards, and a punishment by their gods for committing such acts, and was named after an island on their homeworld where people were wiped out by the disease, an island noted in Markab history for its decadence and immorality.

Ecola Spaceballs: The Animated Series A barf-borne disease made from E. coli and Ebola later eventually infecting in plant with same name.
Electrogonnorhea Futurama An STD humans can contract from robots. Called the "Noisy Killer".
Electric flu Pokémon A condition when an electric Pokémon builds up too much electricity in its body or makes contact with an electromagnetic field. Characterized by sparks coming from the Pokémon's cheeks, a red face and uncontrolled bursts of electricity. Curable by having the Pokémon expunge the excess electricity.
Entitilitus Mr. Show Nobody knows what entitilitus is, but entitilitus kills.
Epideme Red Dwarf An intelligent virus, originally devised as a smoking cure. It was intended as a cure nicotine addiction, but in practice it rapidly consumes the host before hijacking the body, and then attempting to transfer itself to another suitable host via bites or saliva transmission. If no hosts are available, epideme can force its host into a state of hibernation, encasing the body in a tomb of ice-like material until it detects life nearby and thaws. Epideme steals the knowledge from every host it consumes, which has crafted it into an extremely smart, eccentric and deadly virus.
European flu Survivors (2008 TV series) A strain of flu based on the real Spanish flu, but has killed 99.9% of mankind.
Fried Chicken Flu (KFC virus) The Fried Chicken Flu (Boondocks) Is a fictional disease that cause with mildly salmonella in chicken products during the episode. At end the flu itself more than a hoax that cause accidentally attempting create a society collapses in several countries with several blackouts in local areas in United States...
Genie Flu Genie in the House A disease of Genies which causes them to change colours, become invisible and have squeaky voices.
Geodermic granititis Look Around You A disease that attacks the central nervous system, fooling it into calcifying the bodily tissue, eventually turning the victim into what is, essentially, a pile of rocks. More commonly known as cobbles.
Cyberbrain Sclerosis Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex A disease characterized by a hardening of the brain tissues precipitated by the cyberization process. It is described as being that century's cancer or tuberculosis. Cyberbrain Sclerosis is described as being extremely rare, enough so that it doesn't deter most people from being cyberized, but it is incurable once diagnosed.
Ghost Sickness Supernatural A sickness which is contracted from prolonged proximity with ghosts, which causes hallucinations, fever, chills and extreme fear. Dean Winchester contracted this disease from an evil ghost he encountered and became immensely afraid of every single thing he encountered, even being afraid of a cat. The vanquishing of the ghost defeated the disease.
Groat's Disease Curb Your Enthusiasm A neurological disorder presumed to have a high mortality rate through a slow, painful process. Rob Reiner describes it affecting "kids and adults who have a tough time controlling their hyperactivity. It's as if you were on five cups of coffee at all times." It was named after the doctor who discovered it. Larry David, who writes the show, came up with the name of the disease when he thought baseball player Dick Groat's name sounded like the name of a disease and in the show Larry assumes it was named for Dick Groat, who he assumes must have had the disease because, as Larry says, "he didn't field very well because he was excited all the time."

Although fictional, a viral "Walk Across America For Groats Disease" begins every March 21 from Springboro, Ohio. The "Walk" takes about six months to reach the final destination in California and raises millions of dollars (fictitious) for Groats Disease victims.

Hades Covert One: The Hades Factor A blood-borne/airborne virus that causes sever internal hemorrhaging and bleeding from every orifice. It has an incubation period of 12–24 hours. Kills within another 24 hours.
Hate Plague Transformers Bacterial spore of unknown origin transmitted by touch. Induces extreme paranoia and aggression in the infected, causing them to strike out against anyone or anything in an increasingly maddening desire to destroy. Symptoms include a deep reddish glow emanating from the infected. The only curative is intense logic and wisdom, which presumably counters the extreme irrationality the disease causes in its victims. First appearing during the Autobot-Decepticon wars (which necessitated the second resurrection of Optimus Prime), a relatively milder strain is seen again during the events of Beast Machines; Megatron triggers a pre-planted virus in Silverbolt, infecting him and the rest of the Maximals. The strain is cured, again, by intense logic and wisdom.
Harvester Virus Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: "Armageddon Game" Described as a "nanobiogenic weapon", the Harvesters were developed by the T'Lani and Kellerun from a small synthetic virus that was, itself, very lethal; the deadly and much feared weapon used during their centuries-long war killed by disrupting the victim's genetic structure, and had completely devastated the entire population of T'Lani III. So feared was this virus, that even after peace was made and the harvesters were disposed of in a ten-year project, the two governments secretly made plans to assassinate the scientists who worked on the project, fearing what might happen if they were ever remade.
Heart virus Dragon Ball Z Is a virus that affects one's heart, Goku acquired this virus from an unknown location and had to be bedridden for days. In an alternate time line Goku dies from this virus leaving the rest of Earth's special forces to be killed by androids 17 and 18, who were activated six months after Goku's death. Bulma creates a cure for this virus so that Trunks can take it back in time to save Goku and stop the androids.
Head-go-boom-boom-itis SpongeBob SquarePants (Squid baby) A mental disorder that causes adults that receive a head injury to develop a big baby-like brain tumor than later causes them to exhibit infantile-behavior, while still possessing the physical traits of an adult. The disease was possibly intended as an analogue to Autism, Down's syndrome or a related condition.[citation needed]
Hepatitis V True Blood A virulent strain of hepatitis designed as a biological anti-vampire weapon. Instead of killing them, it causes them to enter a zombie-like state: they lose all sense and become feral and aggressive, feeding and killing constantly.
Hinamizawa Syndrome When They Cry/When The Cicadas Cry/Higurashi no Naku Koro ni A mental disease similar to schizophrenia. It is often referred to as "The Curse of Oyashiro" by the townspeople who have no knowledge of the disease and instead relate it to a supposed curse on the town by its guardian god, Oyashiro. It causes paranoia-inducing hallucinations which progressively grow more threatening as the victim becomes more paranoid. In the case of the character Keiichi Maebara, it caused his friends' humored laughter to seem maniacal, and their tone of voice more threatening and sinister than it was. Eventually, he hallucinated a marker held by Mion Sonozaki to be a syringe, having heard that a murderer in the town was on drugs. This caused him to kill Mion, as well as Rena Ryuuguu, with a baseball bat. In most cases, the end result of the disease involves suicide, which Keiichi did by clawing his throat out. Rena also once attempted suicide from the syndrome by cutting her wrist with a knife. It is revealed later in the series that Hanyuu, the incarnation of Oyashiro, was responsible for some of the paranoia, mostly that one is being watched or followed. However, the disease was still mostly psychological.
Holovirus Red Dwarf: Quarantine Discovered, contracted and possibly created by viral researcher Hildeguard Lanstrom, this nasty condition can only be passed between holograms. It can be transmitted across radio-waves and drains the victim's life-force while endowing them with powers such as telepathy, telekinesis and hex-vision. The sufferer tends to go insane long before his or her demise.

Suggested treatment: A remote link to the hologram disk projection system, a detachable power transfer adapter capable of holding spikes of up to five million volts, and a B47/7RF resistor. Plus confiscation of equally deranged penguin glove-puppet

Hopping Cough The Smurfs A plague created by the smurfs' enemy Gargamel to use as a biological weapon against them; a victim of this contagious disease coughs violently and leaps very high into the air with each cough.
Hot Dog Fingers The Office While making up fake diseases, Dwight Schrute says Hot Dog Fingers.
Irumodic Syndrome Star Trek The Next Generation A neurological disease caused by a defect in the brain's parietal lobe. It can take years for the illness to actually develop. In one potential alternate reality, Jean-Luc Picard had this defect and developed the syndrome over a 25-year period.
Imminent Death Syndrome Mr. Show A terminal disease in which the affected individual may experience death at any given time, usually within 80–100 years.
Johnny-itis The Johnny Test episode of the same name Johnny-itis is a condition caused by drinking an unnamed fictional substance only described as "an unstable isotope." Symptoms may include red spots on the skin and a purple tongue, followed by violent bloating and then an explosion.
'Joy Virus' The Amazing World of Gumball (The Joy) Is an emotional-psychological virus that title protagonist father cause within first few hours by start from unexplained and uncontrolled mood swings on heavily happiness induced hallucinations, salvia and also coughing that recently mutated accidentally; Than the virus later seemly killed the first victims within after the first few hours and later come back as creepy happy zombie-like things dubbed "Huggers" by Miss Simian that attack the protagonist middle school.
Jungle Worms iCarly A disease that causes fever, sweating, and vomiting. The disease itself only appears a few times in the show. Carly contracts the disease several times in her life, however, she declared is a healthy carrier, causing a doctor to advise her to avoid contact with other infected persons and cute boys. She later inadvertently infects one of the band's members from Carly's infected glass water.
Lackadaisy-Cathro Disease Ed, Edd n Eddy Main symptoms include "rationalising of mundane circumstances, habitual cleanliness and an abnormal fixation to head wear. Other symptoms include mumbled words and "weakness in the lower extremities". This was shown in an Ed, Edd n Eddy episode "A Case of Ed."
Lazar's Disease Doctor Who: Terminus A leprosy-like disease, the only cure is a dose of radiation.
Luck Virus Red Dwarf A positive viral strain that makes the infected person lucky for a temporary time.
Lurgy (The Dreaded Lurgi) Goon ShowThe Goon Show A disease that causes anyone who catches it to say nothing but 'Eeee-yakkaboo!'. "Lurgy" has become a British slang for "fictional disease du jour."
Macrovirus Star Trek: Voyager An airborne pathogen-by-proxy that infects endothermic humanoids with a virus, causing the host to become lethargic and produce more macroviruses until he/she/it wastes away and dies. When some of the bugs invaded Voyager, the EMH was able to synthesize a cure.
Mad Snail Disease SpongeBob SquarePants (Once Bitten) A psychosomatic disease that is supposedly spread by an infected snail's bite. The imagined symptoms are as follows. In the first stage of the disease, after being bitten, toxins enter the body through the bloodstream, moving through the host until the host's body is taken over. Symptoms include: bloodshot eyes, messy pants, severely untrimmed toenails, ticklish ribcage, and loss of balance. After final stage, the host becomes a "zombie". In the episode "Once Bitten", Gary bites Squidward and most of the citizens of Bikini Bottom. Due to misinformation over the disease, they believe they are zombies and chase SpongeBob until Dr. Gil Gilliams, SDE, SE (Snail Disease Expert and Snail Expert) informs them that "Mad Snail Disease" is nothing more than an urban legend. It's name is a reference to prion diseases like Bovine spongiform encephalopathy and Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease. Infected snails show rabies like symptoms, including irritability, foaming at the mouth and aggression.
Mad Cow Disease/Mad Zombie Disease The Simpsons Boston Legal Similar to the virus shown on Zombieland this plague is non-canonical in The Simpsons universe but nonetheless appears in Treehouse of Horror XX. Similar to Zombieland, it is transmitted through cows. In this segment, Krusty develops a new burger from cannibalistic cows and the effects of this mutate into a virus which turns the victim into a zombie in a matter of seconds. Symptoms include drooling saliva at the mouth, blackened bags under the eyes, and extremely pale skin and psychotic behavior like paranoia. The virus can be transmitted through biting. The only known cure is Bart Simpson, as he ate one of the infected burgers but was immune. On the David E. Kelley series Boston Legal, William Shatner as Denny Crane blames his outré behavior on Mad Cow Disease.
Magnus Oblivio Falicitus Upright Citizens Brigade Also known as "Little Donny Disease". Eponymously named for the character Donny, from the sketch comedy TV series Upright Citizens Brigade. Donny was oblivious to the fact that he had an "enormous penis".
Monkeynucleosis Hey Arnold! A disease that is caused if a person is touched by a monkey. Helga thinks she had this disease when a monkey trainer's monkey kissed her on the arm. It seems that the disease leads to death (Or, as said, "expiration") There are four symptoms: 1) puffy rash where infected, 2) sweaty palms, 3) loss of appetite, and 4) irritability. On the show, monkeynucleosis is said to have been long debunked by modern science.
Mono Orangosis Wizards Of Waverly Place A disease Max made up to get sympathy from a girl. It makes the infected person unable to hear, see, taste, smell anything orange.
Motaba The Pretender The A Virus among us episode borrows from the Outbreak film its center plot disease.
Pentapox Avatar: The Last Airbender A fictional disease. "Symptoms" include purple spots on the skin (actually sucker marks left by a Purple Pentapus). The inhabitants of Omashu pretended to be infected with Pentapox in order to escape the Fire Nation-occupied city.
Petrifold Regression Doctor Who: New Earth A condition that causes the sufferer to turn to stone (similar to petrification). Unknown origins.
PhageThe Phage Star Trek: Voyager A necrotizing plague that affects members of the Vidiian species. Organ transplants are required for survival. Klingon DNA seems to be highly resistant to the phage. It was cured by the Think Tank.
"Pinkeye" Pinkeye (South Park) An infection caused by the accidental combination of embalming chemicals and Worcestershire sauce (originally Dr. Pepper according to Trey and Matt, the creators from show). It results in a zombie apocalypse within South Park. Its initial host is Kenny. To be cured, the initial host must killed, in a similar fashion to vampire-based folklore. Its symptoms are greenish pale skin, a craving for human flesh, and several other zombie-like behaviors and characteristics.
Polaris extremis Hogans Heroes Episode: Up In Klink's Room A rare disease found only among Eskimoes. Symptoms are pains in nerve endings in fevers, craving for greens in the diet, and articular motary vascular spasms. Hogan faked contracting the disease in order to gain entry into a Nazi hospital operated by Doctor Ernst Klaus, a specialist in Eskimo diseases, so that he could obtain information on Kriegsmarine battle plans from a deep-cover agent.
Proxyglossariasis Duckman A condition which causes someone, while speaking, to occasionally use the next word in the dictionary instead of the one they wanted. Appeared in the episode "Research and Destroy".
Purity X-Files Purity, more commonly referred to as the "black oil" or the "black cancer" by the Russians, is an alien virus that thrived underground on Earth, in petroleum deposits. The virus is capable of entering humanoids and assuming control of their bodies. It has sentience and is capable of communicating. It was revealed to be the "life force" of the alien colonists, which they seemingly used to reproduce their kind, as well as infect other alien races in order to conquer the universe.
Polywater intoxication Star Trek: "The Naked Time", Star Trek: The Next Generation: "The Naked Now" A mutated form of water from the planet Psi 2000 that spreads by perspiration (or small cuts in the skin) and causes its victims to act in a way similar to being drunk. However, the effects do not wear off and eventually will cause victims to make dangerous decisions. Dr. Leonard McCoy isolated an antidote, and once it was administered, patients had to be forced to use will power to combat the symptoms. Several decades later, the crew of new Enterprise is infected by what seems to be the same disease, and in this instance, it proves able to be spread by mere touch and is able to infect Data, an android. While Commander Riker is able to learn about the previous incident from the ship's records, McCoy's cure proves ineffective this time, Dr. Crusher believing it may be "mutated". Despite falling victim to it herself, she manages to modify the old antidote into a new one that cures the affliction and administer it to the rest of the crew.
Random Pavarotti Disease Rex the Runt A condition that causes the victim to randomly sing operatic tunes, à la Luciano Pavarotti. The character Vince develops this after swallowing an experimental tablet, and has it for the rest of the show.
Re-vitiligo BoondocksThe Boondocks A disease that turns a white person's skin black over time. Uncle Ruckus claims to have it, though every flashback in which he appears features him as black as he is in 2005–2008. He regards Michael Jackson as a "lucky bastard", as his skin turned from black to white.
Rigellian Fever Star Trek: "Requiem for Methuselah" A disease originating from the Rigel system, the only known cure for which is the rare mineral ryetalyn.
Rooze Star Wars: Droids A deadly germ used by forces of the Galactic Empire during the Maavan Conflict. Victims die in three days. It will not spread as fast if the victim lies still and calm. Symptoms include coughing, shortness of breath, and temporary disappearance of extremities. After three days, a victim simply vanishes. Governor Koong of Tawntoom uses an aerial form of the virus to devastate the rebellious province of Umboo, but a leak in his ship's containers results in his becoming infected. Umboo healer Nilz Yomm devises a cure, but Koong dies of the virus after his deal with the Empire falls through. Kobaks are immune to the disease.
Sexual Magnetism Virus Red Dwarf A positive viral strain that makes the infected person irresistible to the opposite sex.
Shanti Virus Heroes A virus that only affects individuals with superhuman abilities or powers, deactivating those powers and slowly killing the infected. At least one strain exists which affects humans without superhuman powers, which is simply lethal and was shown to have killed 93% of the world population in a possible future.
Smurfy Pink Plague The Smurfs Victims of this very rare disease experience large, pink, itching rashes; if untreated, the disease causes high fever weakness, and eventually death. (While the disease presumably does exist, the outbreak was fraudulent, caused by Jokey Smurf - using pink paint on the other smurfs - in an attempt to bolster Dabbler Smurf's confidence as he tried to be a doctor.)
Space Mumps Red Dwarf: Justice An unsightly, disfiguring ailment that swells the sufferer's head with red and yellow mucus. Resulting impression is that, on a double date with the Elephant Man, John Merrick would be the looker. Suggested treatment: After approximately three weeks the swelling will burst - so maybe an umbrella for those in the vicinity?
Spectrox Toxaemia Doctor Who: The Caves of Androzani A fatal condition caused by touching the raw form of Spectrox, a residue from the saliva of bats found on the planet Androzani Minor, that contained a chemical similar to nitrogen mustard. The lifespan of the sufferer is then reduced to between two and three days; symptoms include a rash and/or cramp, followed by spasms, paralysis and finally Thermal Death Point. The only known cure was the milk of the Queen Bats.
Spontaneous Dental Hydroplosion The Office: Health Care A disease that makes your teeth turn into liquid and then drip down your throat.
Squid's disease SpongeBob SquarePants (Squiditis) A disease invented by Squidward so he didn't have to go to work, later became "true" (SpongeBob take the fake disease literally) over the course of the episode.
The Suds SpongeBob SquarePants (Suds) The Sudds is an illness that only sponges can catch, causing constant sneezing of bubbles and whitened skin tone. It is essentially a common cold. The Sudds can be cured by washing the sponge and using it to clean various things, as shown in the episode "The Sudds."
Super AIDS South Park A disease invented by Mr. Stotch to scare Butters from being grounded.
Super Diarrhea American Dad! Francine experienced this disease while on a good-will mission to India.
Torsonic Polarity Syndrome (TPS) South Park A genetic condition which causes humans to be born with a set of buttocks over their facial organs. TPS is seen in South Park How to Eat with Your Butt. Over 11 people worldwide are affected of this condition.
Toxic Junk Food Syndrome The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy (Billy's Growth Spurt) A condition Billy had developed from eating too much junk food. Toxins developed into a parasite as a side effect of a home remedy made by Grim's grandmother.
Tree-Rush One Piece A virus which had almost destroyed the Shandian Tribe 400 years ago. The disease causes black spots to appear all over the victims body and eventually results in death. The disease was cured by Montblanc Norland by using a substance known as Connie from the Kona Tree.
Tarellian Virus Star Trek: The Next Generation A deadly and believed incurable plague that was believed to have completely wiped out the Tarellian species until a ship holding survivors was discovered. Details are unknown, but even brief contact causes infection, resulting in any known infected areas being interdicted.
Turtle Pox Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987) A disease the turtles suffer from in "The Making of Metalhead".[3]
(Unknown) The Tribe Unknown virus that has killed all the adults, leaving only children and teenagers alive.
Uromysitisis Poisoning Seinfeld: The Parking Garage A condition that occurs when one doesn't relieve themselves. If said person doesn't relieve themselves, they will die.
Vaginitis Fun with Veal (South Park) Vaginitis is a disease that occurs when former meat eater stops eating meat and tries to become a vegan. It causes "vaginas" to appear all over the body of those who are afflicted, alongside other symptoms such as weakness and a famine-like appearance, as seen in "Fun with Veal". It eventually causes the afflicted to become "one big pussy". It can be treated via meat consumption.
Worry Warts The Smurfs This disease, contracted by Papa Smurf in one episode, is caused by extreme stress. Its symptoms include ugly green warts and the inability to make decisions. (Even one as simple as which side of a bed to get out of.) To cure the malady, a victim must speak a short incantation while touching the horn of a live - and preferably subdued - wart monger, which cures the decision-making problem completely and transfers the warts to the wart monger. (Because wart mongers like having warts, this isn't a problem for them.)
Van Horton's Syndrome Saturday Night Live In the October 4, 2005 episode, Van Horton's Syndrome is a fictional condition also called Voice Imodulation or VI. This is a disease in which the people affected cannot control the pitch or volume of their voice. This disease also affects many Americans, including What's Happening!! actor Ernest Lee Thomas and tennis player Pete Sampras.

In video games[edit]

Name Source Symptoms
The Affliction Guild Wars Also referred to as 'The Canthan Plague'. A disease that spread in Cantha, causing victims to become hulking, aggressive, pained creatures known as 'the afflicted'. It was seen to affect humans, cattle, and various animals in a menagerie. The sufferers were initially believed to be contagious, but this was later found out to be false.
Ancient virus Resident Evil series A rare viral strain found in queen ant genes. It was discovered by Alexia Ashford, while she was studying ants. When combined with the Progenitor Virus, it creates the powerful T-Veronica virus. Probably the control power of it is due the Ancient virus.
Angel Toxicosis Tales of Symphonia The name given by Raine Sage to symptoms of Cruxis Crystal parasitism. Causes victim to eventually lose ability to taste, sleep, cry, feel pain, and talk. Also increases the victim's hearing, strength and sight abilities, as well as eliminating the need to eat and sleep. In early beginnings it allows the victim to gain crystal-like wings and fly until the disease is destroyed. The final stage of this diseases causes the victim to give up his/her heart and memory, and ultimately their life. The disease lasts for an unknown time, those afflicted are slowly "given" the symptoms via blessings of a person with a mounted Cruxis Crystal. A major example is Collette, one of the 8 protagonists of the game.
Atma Virus Digital Devil Saga A mystical, noncommunicable virus which marks its carriers with a tattoo-like mark somewhere on their bodies. Carriers are immune to Cuvier Syndrome can transform into a demonic reflection of their inner personalities, referred to as Atma. However, everyone with the virus feels an insatiable hunger for the flesh of other carriers. If this hunger is resisted for too long, the carrier will eventually enter an irreversible state of mindless bloodlust, losing the ability to return to human form.
Asmodeus Terranigma Many ages before Ark's adventure to the surface of the world, the previous generations of Humanity were decimated by an airborne virus with an estimated mortality rate of 90%. The virus was named by Dr. Beruga who was able to synthesize a vaccine of 80% effectiveness for it. Asmodeus was later utilized as a bio-weapon to completely depopulate a city, save for one child survivor who was seemingly unaffected and hid underground.
Blacklight Virus Prototype The Blacklight virus "plugs in" and activates the junk DNA in a target, causing biological changes that create (and recreate) a sentient mind inside the infected creature. It acts by affecting the protein encoding regions of the promoter introns in each cell. As a retrovirus, it contains both RNA and the reverse transcriptase enzyme, allowing it to insert its own genetic codes into living cells. It enters, re-purposes and changes the cell, replicating previously dormant non-coding segments of DNA. More often than not, these changes are too drastic and 99.99% of subjects die from massive organ failure and cell saturation however some variants have yielded other beneficial results; endowing the infected organisms with incredible superhuman genetic prowess, that greatly increase their natural abilities to levels far exceeding human capability.
Blight Disease Dragon Age The Blight disease is a kind of corruption spread by the evil Darkspawn. The disease corrupts all living organisms which either go mad, develop physical afflictions, and/or perish outright.The longer an infected creature 'lives', the more it will manifest hair loss, aggressive or even rabid behavior and numerous deformities, protrusions, boils and sores.
Chimeran Virus Resistance: Fall of Man It mutates human DNA the infected into chimeran DNA thus make them as the enemies of the series.
Chronic Angelus Crystallus Inofficium Tales of Symphonia A progressive disease caused by a Cruxis Crystal mounted upon a Key Crest. The wearer's body gradually crystallizes, starting with the skin, into the same substance that forms Exspheres. When the crystallization reaches the internal organs, the sufferer perishes.
Chrono-displasia League of Legends A mystical disease that grants immortality but detaches the sufferer's consciousness from the present time, making his mind drift through time, from any point he has already lived to the present, unable to impact the events which unfold.
Corprus The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind Corprus causes incredible mutations in humanoids, but it is an almost non-communicable disease. People infected with blight are often sent to a special institution called the Corprusarium, which was made for researching corprus. Corprus is caused by the volcanic ash that emanates from Red Mountain, but, as a positive side effect, grants 100% disease immunity. The only known antidote is proven to destroy corprus, but ends up killing the victim as well. However, the player is able to take the antidote without any adverse effects, presumably because he is the reincarnation of the demi-god Nerevar.
Corrupted Blood World of Warcraft Initially contracted from fighting Hakkar, the God of Blood, in the dungeon of Zul'Gurub. Highly infectious, with an incubation period of 2 seconds and can infect any person in the immediate area. Referred to players as "the Plague", "Hakkar's SARS" or "WoW AIDS" for a major outbreak of the virtual plague in the game due to a design oversight.
Creeping Derangea Advance Wars: Days of Ruin An artificial virus that is revealed to be a failed Bio-Weapon created by Dr. Caulder to test the extent of IDS technology. Due to its inherent flaw of photophobia, creeping derangea is only able to thrive when the sun was effectively blocked out by the vast amounts of dust that were kicked up into the troposphere and stratosphere by the apocalyptic meteor impact events. The Virus is initially only able to infect those under the age of 20 but a new strain is somehow introduced that can infect older hosts over time. Symptoms include headaches, paranoia, and a black diamond on the skin called "the mark". It causes flowers to grow inside a person and break out of the skin. A beautiful, albeit excruciatingly painful, way to die. Its scientific name is Endoflorescens terribilis. It is also known as The Creeper and the Green Thumb.
C-Virus Resident Evil 6 A new, further evolved version of the T-Virus. Developed by Neo-Umbrella, it is responsible for creating the highly evolved, more intelligent J'avo, as well as being used in the worldwide bio-terrorist attacks. Jake Muller, being descended from Albert Wesker, is resistant to the disease. Because of this, Jake is seemingly being hunted by Ada Wong and her agents.[4]
Cuvier Syndrome Digital Devil Saga 2 Caused by exposure to corrupted sunlight, this noncommunicable disease petrifies the bodies of its victims, literally turning them to stone. The rate of petrification seems based on the level of sunlight exposure: one victim in full sunlight attempted suicide, but was unable to pull the trigger before being petrified. Carriers of the Atma Virus are immune.
Desert Herpes Wasteland A sexually transmitted disease that the player's character contracts if he sleeps with the three-legged prostitute he meets in the game.
Despair Disease Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair A pathogen created by Monokuma in order to drive the students into paranoia and irritability. It's effects depend on the person it infects: Nagito Komaeda's symptoms caused him to impulsively lie, Akane Owari became a coward, Ibuki Mioda became emotionless and gullible, and it caused Mikan Tsumiki to remember the events prior to having her memory erased. The disease wore off once there was another victim in the killing game.
Diathronitis Larn Afflicts daughter of player character; serves as primary motivation for gameplay.
Doll Syndrome hack GU.hack//G.U. A mysterious medical condition in which a person falls into a completely unresponsive state. Doll Syndrome is in fact a physical side effect to an infection by AIDA. Salvador Aihara tries to do an undercover investigation regarding Doll Syndrome in especially young children for his show "Online Jack".
Shiva I-VII Fallen Earth The SHIVA virus, or at least SHIVA I, is hinted to be an airborne virus with a quick infection exposure time, and therefore has qualities much like a modern chemical weapon. Overall the SHIVA virus appears as seven distinct forms, with naming conventions of SHIVA I through SHIVA VII, with the seventh version being mostly non-lethal. The virus is named after te Shiva, the Hindu God of death due to the dance-like convulsions that it causes its victims
Flood Parasite Halo The Flood Parasite is depicted in the Halo franchise as a parasitoid fungus-like pathogen that mutates infected hosts into creatures similar to zombies. Depending on the size or condition of the Host's body, the Flood will either uses the host as-is to pursue new victims, or break it down to create "pure forms" from its biomass.
Forced Evolutionary Virus Fallout Originally known as the Pan-Immunity Viron Project, FEV, along with radiation, is responsible for many mutations in the wastelands. The most visible of these are the super mutants, former humans granted incredible strength and endurance as result of being infected. Exposure to the virus is also known to be fatal in many cases. FEV serves as a major plot element in Fallout, Fallout 2 and Fallout 3.
FoxDie Metal Gear Solid FoxDie is a virus responsible for killing people with certain genetic markers via cardiac arrest. FoxDie is given to protagonist Solid Snake by Dr. Naomi Hunter, only it is engineered to go off at an indeterminate time. FoxDie was also the cause of death of Liquid Snake, Decoy Octopus (impersonating DARPA chief Donald Anderson), and the ArmsTech President.
G-Virus Resident Evil 2 A mutagenic pathogen which causes the host to become a big, constantly evolving, practically unstoppable killing machine, with exceedingly high attack power and immense vitality, in addition to the ability to regenerate and mutate so quickly the carrier virtually loses its mortality. The purified virus can be injected directly into the host, or a mutated host can implant a small larvae, called a G-embryo into another host. The latter mode of transmission is most successful when the host and the new victim are genetically similar. The virus would later be merged with the T-Virus by Umbrella scientists in an attempt to balance the G-virus' rapid evolution with the T-virus' stability, creating an extremely dangerous, electromagnetic-capable variant called the T/G Virus.
Gagne Michigan: Report from Hell An experimental bioweapon that was developed in a consortium by the ZaKa Conglomerate, the U.S. Government, and the U.S. Military. It is a mutagenic virus that can be transmitted in the air and by contact with body fluids. Gagne takes the form of a thick fog that has covered the entirety of Chicago, Illinois and is causing animals and people to horrifically transform into grotesque monsters with large maws that can spawn leech-like larvae.
  • Stage 1: No discernible changes in physical appearance and body temperature. Actions become sluggish.
  • Stage 2: Subject begins to spawn leech-like larvae which are violently spewed from the mouth.
  • Stage 3: Subject undergoes horrific transformation and becomes aggressive and sensitive to nearby sounds.
Gangliated Utrophin Immuno Latency Toxin (GUILT) Trauma Center: Under the Knife A series of eight parasitic pathogens created by the medical-terrorist group Delphi. Despite its ingame introduction as a toxin, GUILT is referred as a "moving tumor", but behaves more like a parasite. During ingame sequences where the player operates on patients, GUILT diseases are normally shown as a pseudo-sentient core that attacks the patient from within, using lacerations, tumors and other ailments. Individual strains are named after Greek days of the week (Kyriaki, Deftera, Triti, Tetarti, Pempti, Paraskevi, Savato), the only exception being the eighth strain, called "Bliss". Neo-GUILT strains, which were developed independently from the original GUILT project, introduce four more strains (Nous, Bythos, Sige, Aletheia). Some GUILT survivors were also inflicted with a variation of the disease, dubbed the PGS (Post-GUILT syndrome).
Genophage Mass Effect Genophage is a biological weapon deployed against the krogan species designed to severely reduce population numbers by infecting the species with genetic mutations. The plague causes most krogan pregnancies to end in stillbirth, with most fetuses never even reaching that stage of development.
Gray Death Deus Ex A global plague engineered using nanotechnology within a Universal Constructor by Majestic-12, the Gray Death virus is actually a hybrid (cyborganic) disease of biological and mechanical structures. It is based on the adverse and ultimately lethal effects of nanotechnology on an unmodified human body. Named the Gray Death because of the gray patches of discolored scar tissue that cover its victims' skins, if and when the disease is cured. Symptoms include the aforementioned discoloration of the skin, coughing, physical pain and death.
Hyper-evolutionary virus StarCraft The Hyper-evolutionary virus is a retrovirus produced by Zerg Queens. It is used to mutate "lesser" creatures into zerg warrior breeds. Only a small percent of humanity is fully compatible, who retain personality, intelligence, and psionics. Others mutate into living bombs, utterly dominated by the Overmind. It has a re-animation side-effect. It is transmissible through fluid transfer only, much like Solanum.
Incuritis Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney A rare, but lethal disease, curable only through the use of a medicine made from the Borginian Cocoon. The cure is very difficult to make, and if made incorrectly, it is a deadly poison, and thus the exportation of such a cocoon is illegal. The Chief Justice's son is afflicted with the disease.
Kepral's Syndrome Mass Effect 2 Drell are an almost extinct race, as their arid home planet Rakhana underwent an ecological disaster due to overpopulation. 350.000 of them were relocated to the humid, ocean-covered planet of Kajhe; this change of habitat and the unwillingness of the drell to separate themselves from the indigenous population, the jellyfish-like hanar, results in some of them developing this disease, which primarily damages their blood's ability to transfer oxygen. It is noncommunicable, and there is currently no known cure, though leading hanar scientific authorities are working on creating a genetic adaptation.
Las Plagas Resident Evil 4 A parasitic, organism which can infect a variety of hosts, including humans. It has the ability to control its host's behavior, inducing a hive-like mentality among the infected and extreme hostility towards uninfected individuals. The infected retain most of the characteristics of humans such as fine motor skills as seen through their use of simple weapons such as scythes and axes, and more complicated weapons such as chainsaws and chainguns. They are seen to obey "Queen" parasites, much like ants.
M2448 virus (The Freak Virus) Crackdown 2 The virus called M2448 was created by Catalina Thorne, the leader of Cell, during her time as a medical student working for the Agency. She conducted secret experiments of the virus but was discovered by the Agency and was kicked off the Agency-sponsored medical programme. She was enraged by this and wanted revenge on the Agency because it apparently ruined her life. To get her revenge she offered free vaccinations to the people of Unity Heights (formerly "The Corridor"), she was actually vaccinating her victims with the M2448 Virus which tuned them into Freaks. The virus spread across Unity Heights very quickly and soon made its way into the two other boroughs of Pacific City.
Marker: DNA sequence Dead Space After the human colony, on planet Aegis discover an alien Marker, that contained complex and powerful DNA sequence, that enabled dead cells to revive. Unfortunately, one of the scientists working on this DNA sequence, dropped the dish containing these engineered cells. The cells, eventually infected one scientists, which then lead to altered mutations of the human body.
Maverick Virus Mega Man X A virus that affects Reploids. Causes violent insanity and is passed by touch. Victims can sometimes retain their intellect. Combination with the intelligence of the Maverick Hunter Sigma created a variant form called the Sigma Virus, which is airborne. Mega Man X can be harmed, but not mentally suborned, by this virus. Zero is actually strengthened by exposure, due to his unique status. The Zero Virus is a further evolved, faster version.
NE-Alpha Parasite Resident Evil 3 The NE-Alpha, or Nemesis Alpha, Parasite has an immunity to the T-virus, and is used to protect the higher brain functions of B.O.W.'s. However, if the B.O.W. is incompatible with the parasite, they die inside of twenty minutes. If they are compatible, however, the parasite acts as a second brain, taking over the functions mof the T-virus ravaged host brain. The host increases in size and strength; and become hardy enough to survive multiple gunshot wounds. The parasite's tentacles become threaded throughout the host's entire body; and can be utilized as a weapon.
NE-Beta Parasite Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City The NE-Beta (Nemesis Beta) parasite is an evolved form of the NE-Alpha parasite. The parasite is capable of bonding to all B.O.W.s, from zombies to T-103 super soldiers. The parasite has an insectoid appearance, as opposed to the octopous-like form of its predecessor. However, it is prone to decapitating its host, rendering them blind and deaf.
Neuro-Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (N.I.D.S.) Sonic The Hedgehog (series)Sonic The Hedgehog A rare, incurable, and fatal disease. Shortly after Prof. Gerald Robotnik refused G.U.N.'s request for him to discover the secret to immortality, his granddaughter Maria contracted N.I.D.S., causing Gerald to reconsider and begin Project Shadow. The cure was never found, despite Gerald's success at creating the ultimate life form. Maria later died of a gunshot wound during G.U.N.'s extermination of all involved in the project.
Porphyric Hemophilia Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, Elder Scrolls IV: OblivionThe Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Causes vampirism after an incubation period of three days. If the player is infected, they can go through a quest to cure the disease, however it is not necessary to be cured to complete the quest.
Pox of LeChuck Tales of Monkey Island The Pox of LeChuck (also named LeChucken Pox in the final episode) is a plague apparent in Tales of Monkey Island that swept across the Caribbean when Guybrush stabbed LeChuck with an enchanted voodoo sword at the Rock of Gelato. This caused LeChuck to be stripped of his voodoo powers, releasing a pandemic that transformed many pirates into green-skinned, foul-mouthed monsters. It also spread to Guybrush's hand, giving it a life of its own (even after being cut off by Morgan LeFlay), as well as infecting his wife, Elaine Marley. The only known cure is La Esponja Grande, which Guybrush embarks on a quest to find after speaking with the Voodoo Lady.
Pretendicitis Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People(Episode Two: Strong Badia the Free) Fever, shaking, and inability to comprehend language. The only cure is a pretendectomy.
Progenitor Virus Resident Evil In the back-story of the series, the Progenitor virus is the primary virus created by the Umbrella Corporation, a mutagen based on ebola, with some of its components extracted from strange flowers that bloom underground, seen in Resident Evil 5. Successor viruses include the T-Virus, the G-Virus, and T-Veronica Virus.
Phazon Madness Metroid Prime A virus transmitted by being in close proximity to Phazon. The victim's mind is warped so they can no longer tell friend from foe, and exist only to destroy. Phazon Madness is extremely contagious, and it later develops into Phazon Fever, wherein the victim gains an obsessive compulsive disorder regarding Phazon. Infected victims can utilize Phazon as a weapon and normally can only be killed by Phazon itself.
Pokérus Pokémon A virus that afflicts Pokémon. Though it is incurable, it has no negative effects, and is in fact helpful. Pokémon afflicted gain double effort values in battle. The Pokémon retains this ability even after its contagious period of 48 hours has passed. Transmission is by proximity in a party, and the 48 hour "clock" is stopped by placing the Pokémon into a PC.
Radical-6 Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward Radical-6 was a virus developed by the apocalyptic cult "Free the Soul" to destroy human civilization. A highly infectious virus, it causes the human brain to experience time at a 40% slower rate, and eventually drives its victims to suicide. The global pandemic eventually leads to a desperate (and hinted to be Radical-6 induced) plan to detonate 18 anti-matter generators simultaneously, initiating a nuclear winter.
Roboenza Mega Man 10 A virus that affects humanoid robots, causing flu-like symptoms and eventually homicidal tendencies. Created and subsequently cured by Dr. Wily. Some theories hold that it is related to the Evil Energy from Mega Man 8 and the Maverick Virus from the Mega Man X series
Rotten World Gas Lollipop Chainsaw A poisonous gas from the Rotten World (Hell) which leaks through interdimensional cracks caused by the Necromancer Swan when he cracks open a gate between Earth and Rotten World. This gas leaks through the cracks and kills everybody who inhales it within minutes, shortly reanimating them as psychotic zombies within a short while. It appears the gas is transmittable through bites, and therefore contagious. In hallucinations, the gas is also shown to affect animals.
Rust Lung/Lambency Gears of War 2 When the Lightmass bomb that killed the multitude of Locust monsters in the first game vaporized the liquid element "Imulsion", the gas seeped into the atmosphere of planet Sera, resulting in 'Rust Lung', a disease that spreads quickly and deadly. However, in Gears of War 3 it is concluded that Imulsion is not just a fuel, it's a parasite, and it began to spread to humans as it had to Locust. In fact, as the subterran Locust tried to escape being turned into infested "Lambent", they had to start the genocide of the surface-occupying humans. The Lambent organism is present to some degree in every human's cells by the events of the game, and 'rust lung' is a sing of approaching transformation into a "former human", or just Former, a zombie-like creature. Locust, however, appear not to lose sentience after transformation, and some of them develop uncanny mutations amidst the heat of battle. All Lambent inherit Imuslion's qualities: glow in the dark and explosive properties. The point of the third game is to deal with the Imulsion's assault on the surface of the planet.
Scurge Scurge: Hive A parasite that can infect biological, technological, or coherent energy systems. It takes about one minute to overwhelm the special filters designed to ward off its infection.
"Green Flu" (Previously Unknown) Left 4 Dead,
Payday The Heist: No Mercy
The Green Flu, commonly referred to simply as The Infection, has caused most humans who come in contact with it to change into homicidal, zombie-like beings. Anyone can catch it, but there are few out there who show no symptoms of the virus. They can, however, spread it to whoever comes in contact with them. These carriers seldom realize they are spreading the virus, leaving a path of destruction in their wake.
The Plague Mass Effect 2 The Plague is a virus possibly created by the Collectors which infects all species except humans and vorcha, with the latter being resistant to any infection, and the former being immediately blamed for the spread of the plague and hunted down by local non-human criminals. It causes horrible sores, a bad cough and coughing up blood, as a result of rapid mutations to the respiratory systems. It was being spread through the ventilation system of the slums of Omega by the vorcha under orders of the Collectors but was stopped by Shepard and doctor Mordin Solus, since Omega has no authorities whatsoever and the affected area was simply sealed until everyone would die.
The Plague of Undeath Warcraft III The Plague is responsible for the entire Undead race. It can re-animate dead creatures with a reasonable degree of sentience. However, the creature is usually dominated by the undead command structure, but they can escape from the tyranny of undeath. It also causes the soil beneath and around Undead structures to change into a substance known as Blight, which is poisonus to most plants.
The Rat Plague Dishonored The Rat Plague killed almost half of the population of the city of Dunwall, the fictional city from the game Dishonored. Victims of the rat plague can cure themselves via use of Sokolov's Health Elixir. Once blood comes from the Nose or Eyes there is no way to be cured. It is also known as the doom of Pandyssia.
Rosalia Virus Trauma Team A variation of viral hemorrhagic fever, capable of killing patients in days. The virus was originally found in the blood of Rosalia Rosselini by Cumberland College professor Albert Sartre. Sartre and his son attempted to use the virus to cure all disease, but instead found that it could not be used for positive means. An outbreak of the virus occurred, resulting in the Cumberland College Incident, where Sartre and Rosalia escaped to Mexico, and his son lost all memory of the incident, but was arrested and sentenced to 250 years of imprisonment under the ID "CR-S01". However, Sartre was inflicted with the virus, causing him to fall to insanity, killing Rosalia. Rosalia's blood splattered onto nearby flowers, which monarch butterflies fed upon, acting as vectors that caused a second outbreak. A variation of the Rosalia virus was encountered once, when one of the Rosalia patients, Naomi Kimishima, also had a pre-existing incurable genetic disease (thought to be related to GUILT). Interactions between the genetic disease and Rosalia gave birth to a "Twisted Rosalia" strain, which only one case was known to be documented.
Stigma Trauma Center: New Blood A virus accidentally created by Markus Vaughn and Lloyd Wilkens. It islater used as a bioterror weapon by the group Parnassus. It comes in six strains, named after body parts it resembles or attacks (Cheir, Soma, Ops, Onyx, Brachion, Cardia). Unlike other pathogens, which store their genetic information in DNA, Stigma stores its genetic information in a film-like structure making it unique among pathogens. Due to the fact that Stigma originated from a lab rat with Culurium-based synthetic blood, a newly discovered mineral from the country of Culuruma, taking control of the mines that contain the mineral is necessary for the mass production of Stigma.
T-Abyss Virus Resident Evil: Revelations A variant of the T-Virus, designed by FBC CEO Morgan Lansdale to show the world the dangers of bio-weapons and increase his own personal power through use of the 'Veltro' terrorist group. The virus crates zombies and BOWs who are strongly linked with water, and have numerous aquatic features such as tentacles and crab-like shells. It is encountered in the game when 'Veltro' threaten to infect the world's oceans, hoping to exact revenge for the loss of much of their forces during the bio-terrorist attack on the floating techno-utopia Terragrigia. It is encountered during exploration of three research vessals, where it has transformed the crew and several sea creatures into zombies, mutants and Tyrants.
T-Veronica Virus Resident Evil Code: Veronica A powerful strain of the Progenitor Virus, created by combining it with a rare retrovirus found in the genetic make-up of ant queens, discovered by unstable scientific genius Alexia Ashford, the result of an advanced cloning experiment. It is encountered in Code: Veronica, when it is being used by Alexia Ashford in her attempt to take control of the world. She experiments on her father, then on herself; her father is transformed into a terrifying monster, while she, going into hibernation after giving herself a dose of the Virus, manages to gain control over it and retain her personality and intelligence. She eventually becomes a dragonfly-like creature who has to be killed by Chris Redfield. It appears again in the 'Operation Javier' section of Darkside Chronicles, where it is being used by Javier Hidalgo to cure his daughter Manuela of an inherited illness. He also tried to cure his wife, but the virus overwhelmed her and turned her into a mutant. Manuela uses her developing powers (similar to Alexia Ashford's abilities before transforming into her insect form) to defeat the mutated Javier, and is then evacuated by Leon Kennedy and Jack Krauser. If Manuela survives at the end of the game, it is said that she is cared for by the US government, but her ultimate fate is left unknown.
T-Virus Resident Evil (short for Tyrant Virus, after the humanoid BOWs it is used to create) A virus that causes dementia and cellular necrosis in humans, turning them into zombie-like creatures who are difficult to kill. It can easily mutate into other strains, some of which have mutagenic effects on the host. In insects or amphibians, the resulting mutation often involves increased aggressiveness, increased size, and (almost always) the development of poisonous traits. In mammals, the results include aggressiveness, physiological changes of varying degrees, and an extremely increased evolutionary rate. However, it is shown that some humans can bond with the T-Virus and its variants and gain heightened speed, strength and strange powers while retaining their personalities, as in the case of Albert Wesker and Alexia Ashford. Variants include the NE-T virus, T-G Virus, the T-JCCC203 (used for pharmaceutical, but killed two people) and many others.
Technocyte Virus Dark Sector The metabolism of victims are increased and the surface of their skin hardens and forms a metallic exterior. The infection continues to mutate the host, driving them insane from the intense pain. The infected then become wildly aggressive and unpredictable, attacking anyone that is not infected on sight. The disease can be spread by physical contact and can affect animals as well as humans.
Tiberium poisoning Command & Conquer Tiberium crystals start to grow on a person's skin. These skin crystals eventually force their way through the persons vital organs, killing them. If the infestation is in a certain proportion, the victim mutates into a living bag of rotten skin and organs, called a visceroid.
Unicornitis Octodad: Dadliest Catch A disease made up during a story told by Tommy and Stacy in the bonus episode "Medical Mess". Symptoms include a bright pink unicorn horn magically sprouting from the forehead, and the ability to fly. The only known cure is to purchase and use a set of jet-skis. Notable victims include Patient 203 and Octodad.
Uroboros Resident Evil 5 An advanced strain of the Progenitor virus, the Uroboros virus was created by Albert Wesker, with inadvertent help from Jill Valentine. Exposure to Uroboros can lead to one of two things – forced evolution via DNA integration, leading to extremely heightened abilities, or rejection via the virus, leading to the parasitic nature taking over and forming a mass of black, leech-like pustules, which can grow in size if exposed to more organic matters. The only individual known to survive the process was Albert Wesker, which was more than likely due to the fact of his previous exposure to the T-virus. Other beings that took positive mutations from the Uroboros virus include the Reapers; cockroaches exposed accidentally to the virus, who then in turn grew largely in size, gained armour-like carapaces and scythe-like appendages, explaining the name.
Wailing Death Neverwinter Nights A bubonic-like plague that infects almost the entire city of Neverwinter. Thought to be just a natural plague, it is later discovered that it was magically created and unleashed upon the city.
(Unknown) Madworld A disease created by the Organizers to force innocent people to compete in the bloodsport Deathwatch for an antidote.
X-2 Virus BattleTanx, BattleTanx: Global Assault An extremely deadly virus released in 2001 and further researched in 2006 that killed 99.9% of the world's human female population that did not possess a special psychic ability known as 'The Edge'. Those that were spared were treated with the utmost respect, authority, and loyalty, thereby earning their title of 'Queenlord'.
Yellow Death 1213 A deadly virus which contaminated the entire planet Earth and certain parts of the Tessa Life Orbital. Humans are killed in short time upon infection, but cloned humans are transformed into killer zombies. When 0916 got a large dosage of the virus he mutated into a yellow, four-armed monster with two retractable spines and tentacles. 1213 however was unaffected by the virus due to a successful Immunization to the virus.
Twin Fever Metroid Prime A Virus native to Twin Tabula causing double vision. When the twin sight fades, the victim is near death.
Kuru [clarification needed] Dead Island, Dead Island Riptide, Dead Island 2 Is a sub-type version of Kuru which later actually revealing is neuro-genetically engineered version of Kuru that infected islands to the Papua New Guinea region. It is widely passed among the local tribes and is believed to be the cause of the zombie outbreak. Doctor West needs a non-mutated strain of this disease to work on a cure. Doctor West also believes that people with O Negative blood are unsusceptible to the infection

In role playing games[edit]

Name Source Symptoms
Goblin Fever Dungeon Adventures #46, "Goblin Fever" This disease is a relatively harmless ailment to goblins, orcs, and similar creatures, but it's rare. To humans, it's much deadlier. Having a long incubation period and being highly contagious, an outbreak can start before the first case is even detected. The disease causes deterioration of the central nervous system, causing forgetfulness and rapid mood swings, the victim often becoming violent, depressed, or even suicidal, eventually lapsing into a coma before dying.
Free League Plague Planescape A plague created by the Lady of Pain to keep the swelling numbers of the Free League in check, which grew to an overwhelming size after a conflict called the Great Upheaval amongst the factions, where the Lady of Pain decreed that there could only be fifteen Factions in Sigil at one time. Very little is known about this disease, but any member of the Free League stood a chance of becoming infected with it simply by entering Sigil.
Magical Diseases Dungeons and Dragons The setting has several of varying degrees of lethality, most of them affecting one or more Ability Scores. The most well known are Devil Chills, Cackle Fever, Filth Fever, Mummy Rot, and Slimy Doom.
Slarecian Language Virus Scarred Lands This odd affliction can infect anyone who tries to use magic or even rudimentary means to decipher the language of the Slarecian, an extinct species of evil sorcerers, if the work they are trying to decipher has this specific taint. An infected victim's language is changed to that of the Slarecians (which is gibberish to most natives of Scarn), meaning he can only understand or be understood by another infected victim, and all written language other than Slarecian makes no sense to him. Victims do not realize what has happened to them, as what they say sounds clear to them. The disease is incredibly contagious; anyone who listens to an infected victim risks also becoming infected.
Ravenloft Viruses Ravenloft Monstrous Compendium Appendix III: Creatures of Darkness Theses six incredibly lethal magical diseases were created by an evil wizard who was killed by his six sons, who each became the first carrier of one of them: Combustion (the victim experiences a horrible fever and eventually bursts into flames), Crystal (the victim's blood starts to crystallize from within), Petrification (the victim gradually turns to stone) Phobia (the victim becomes terrified of everything), Psionic (the victim rapidly gains intelligence and psionic powers until his head explodes) and Shadow (the victim eventually fades into darkness). Each disease is very contagious, especially from the remains of a dead victim.
Vile Diseases Book of Vile Darkness The book mentions seventeen diseases of varying lethality caused by evil magic or exposure to focal points of incredible evil. The most notorious ones are Faceless Hate (causes the victim's face to vanish, and drives him to a violent, insane rage), Life Blindness (the victim is unable to see, hear, or otherwise perceive any other living things, and is often driven mad from isolation and loneliness), and Vile Rigidity (the victim becomes stronger and tougher, but eventually, his skin hardens, until he can't move and suffocates).

See also[edit]

References & further reading[edit]

  1. ^ Sue Samuelson (July 1980), "Western Folklore", Western Folklore (Western States Folklore Society) 39 (3): 198–210, JSTOR 1499801  |chapter= ignored (help)
  2. ^
  3. ^ "The Making of Metalhead", TV Com
  4. ^ "Resident Evil 6, C-Virus trailer". YouTube. Retrieved 2012-06-26.