Test Subject 23:

  We finally got approval to introduce rodent test subjects into our research; No more unnecessary human deaths, assuming they can be cured at all that is. The kinds of experiments we need to do now require transferring the parasite to a new host which we refuse to do on other humans, those who have already been infected remain under quarantine but I hope we can find a cure soon. Any attempt to remove a portion of the parasite and transfer it directly to a new host resulted in failure, suggesting that it needs a live host to transfer it directly to a new host. Releasing a rodent into the same room as an infected human results in dinner for the human subject, rather unfortunate for our furry little friend. We’ve found that infection can be prevented entirely with a healthy dose of antibiotics, so it seems as though Captain Undersen’s quick thinking may have indeed saved some lives.

  We can successfully infect new subjects by creating small incisions in the skin and exposing them to the parasitic growth extruding from already infected hosts. Any attempt to slow down the progress of the growth in the newly infected host with antibiotics either results in the death of the parasite (and in some cases the host as well) or outright failure. Surgical examination of the subjects is rather difficult given the regenerative capabilities of the parasite but a few hasty autopsies during a time span shortly after death of a potential host during the process of infection reveals that the parasite targets the heart and brain first meaning any antibiotics administered after one of these organs are infected will likely result in catastrophic organ failure and ultimately death. Seeing how the parasite prioritizes its own life over that of its host makes me fear that our human patients may never go back to being truly human ever again. Any damage done to the host body is repaired rapidly but if damage is sustained in portions of parasitic growth as well as the host’s main body, the cancerous sections will be repaired first. An interesting feature that was discovered when transferring the parasite from a human host to a rodent host came after some genetic sequencing tests. Blood taken from an infected human displayed new genetic markers that aren’t present in that of a healthy human suggesting that the parasite has, at least to some extent, the capability to splice sections of its host’s DNA. The really interesting discovery came from doing this same test with the rodent test subjects. While we were expecting to find those same genetic markers found in human DNA the parasitic markers found in rodent DNA are entirely different suggesting that not only can the parasite modify its host’s DNA but that it can also modify its own. We will run more tests to be sure but these are some fascinating preliminary results. Once we know for sure we will pass our findings up the chain of command.

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