Re: A true touch of insanity?

On Jan 7, 5:13=A0am, Wildepad <noreplies> wrote:

> I'm surprised that more virii occurring in nature don't use it --
> the sweat glands in the palms (merocrine?) seem ideal for
> transfer...

Except here you need physical contact, while a great number of virii
(?) avoid that, toughen up a little bit, and go airborn, which has a
much better chance of encountering a new host. It just requires the
host be close, not in contact.

Of course, there are plenty that use contact as well - but a more
intimate form of contact, with a much higher probability of fluid
transfer, seems to be the mechanism of choice. this may also be
because mucus membranes are a lot more friendly for viral reproduction
(being a lot of live, actively-dividing tissue), then the skin (only
active layers relatively deep).

> I don't think the second part requires an overly large stretch of the
> imagination...

It doesn't. Think rabies. There are lots of other communicable
diseases that are thought to influence behavior (including some that
like those intimate mucus membranes).

> Result: a simple handshake leads to psychopathy.

Or, for even more SFnal truth, a virus that does the opposite - makes
an organism bond more strongly into social groupings in peaceful,
friendly fa****on. Getting a bunch of organisms to willingly remain in
close contact, while not being violently disfunctional, increases the
odds of transmission... and breeding more potential hosts.

--
Brian Davis