Vampire Virus Biology

Vampire Virus Biology

A person who comes out of a vampiric coma fully transformed will have undergone a number of major physiological changes affecting the various systems of the body. The information included below is only an overview; for a more detailed account, try two classic texts: Henry Gray's Anatomy of the Vampire and Vesalius' Five Books on the Structure of the Vampire Body.

Brain/Nervous System

A vampire's nervous system is similar to humans and has proven to be their "achilles heel." Injuries to the spinal cord and brain can devastating for vampires. While a vampire's spinal cord and nerves work as before transformation, a number of changes take place in the brain, and that altered brain chemistry goes a long way toward understanding vampire behavior.

1 - Serotonin: vampires have much lower levels of this neurotransmitter. In humans, low levels of serotonin trigger aggression and risky behavior. A study of murderers on death row revealed low levels of serotonin in their brains.
2 - Dopamine: another neurotransmitter, dopamine induces feelings of well-being. In vampires, it is released during feeding and has a narcotic-like effect. Neural pathways activated in vampires during feeding are much like those found in addicts when using drugs.
3 - Circadian rhythms chemical changes in the brain that help us "rise and shine" with the morning light are reversed in vampires.
Normal brain (left) shows serotonin activity;
vampire brain (right) shows none

Sense Organs

Powerful sense organs gave vampires an advantage both in hunting and eluding capture. Sneaking up on them virtually impossible, as they are aware of your presence long before you are aware of theirs.

1 - Sight: in vampires, the iris in each eye becomes hyperdilated, giving them what appear to be black eyes. While this iris dilation gives vampires excellent night vision, it renders them effectively blind in daylight. In addition, vampires suffer inflammation of the sclera, making the whites of their eyes appear red.
2 - Smell/hearing: both senses are extremely acute, as vampires have double the receptor cells in their noses and ears compared to humans. In fact, vampires usually smell or hear a person coming long before they see one.



Normal eye (left); Vampire eye (right)

Hair, skin, teeth, fingernails:

Part of the terror of encountering a vampire stems from dramatic changes to their outer appearance. Some of these changes are functional, while others remain a mystery.

1 - Teeth: during vampiric coma, the upper and lower eyeteeth experience growth. Additional enamel is deposited on the crown of the tooth. Vampires will file the teeth to make them sharper for easier feeding.
2 - Hair: vampires lose all their bodily hair within ten years of transformation (except for the tiny hairs in their ears, known as cilia).
3 - Skin: a newly-transformed vampire has a sickly, pale yellow skin tone that turns to blue over the next few days. In time, the skin becomes more and more translucent, and a fine network of veins become visible under the skin.
4 - Fingernails: vampire fingernails thicken and grow at a rapid rate. Vampires will file their nails to a point, which helps them in grabbing victims.

The upper (l) and lower (r) eyeteeth
experience rapid growth

Circulatory System:

The most profound differences between humans and vampires are found in the circulatory system. These differences enable vampires to survive massive trauma that would kill a human being.

1 - Blood: vampire blood is called ichor (pr. ik-er). Modifications to hemoglobin in the blood cells makes vampire blood appear black.
2 - Heart: vampire blood is pumped via the contraction of skeletal muscle rather than the heart, which eventually atrophies from disuse.
3 - Adrenaline: this "emergency hormone," which normally kicks in during "fight or flight" situations, is found in consistently large amounts in vampire blood. The presence of adrenaline, along with changes in muscle, bone and connective tissue, account for vampire's extraordinary strength, speed and aggressiveness.

Body Temperature:

A vampire's core body temperature is only about 60 degrees, compared to over 98 degrees for humans. This marked difference proved to be a great help for modern vampire fighters, as it made vampires easily distinguishable from humans when viewed through heat-sensitive infrared imagery (note the difference between the vampire and human in the picture at right).

Muscular/Skeletal System:

Adaptations in their skeletal and muscular systems give vampires significant advantages over humans.

1 - Muscles/Connective Tissue: about 90% of vampire muscles are of the fast-twitch variety (compared to 50% for the average human). Fast-twitch muscles enable short bursts of maximal force, ideal when hunting prey. Also, vampire ligaments and tendons thicken in response to the workload imposed upon them by the muscles.
2 - Skeletal system: vampire bones thicken, an adaptation necessary to support their newly-powerful muscles.

Aging and Life Expectancy:

While no vampire on record has ever died of natural causes, vampires do undergo an aging process, just not in the same way as humans. Vampires do not age on a molecular/genetic level, but their life of hunting and eluding capture creates tremendous wear and tear in the form of injuries to bones and tissue.
Because they presented such a danger to society, most vampires were destroyed long before the outer limits of their life span were determined. Ancient history offers some clues, however. In Ancient China, there was said to be one vampire in the emperor's court through the entire (eastern) Zhou Dynasty, which would put his age at 550. More accurate modern records have certified vampires of over 200 years old.

Contrary to the opinions of many theologians, vampiric longevity is not the result of some pact with the devil, but rather an ability to ward off the DNA damage that occurs during cell division in normal humans. Specifically, the protective caps on the ends of chromosomes known as telomers get chewed up over time in humans, but not in vampires.

Though their DNA may have the ability to resist aging, a vampire's appearance will change dramatically over time. Vampires lose all of their hair within 10 years of transformation. Over time, a vampire's fat stores shrink away and its skin becomes thinner and more transparent, giving it a withered, dried appearance. Aging also leaves vampires with a pronounced curvature of the spine.

Despite their rather feeble appearance, older vampires are still extremely powerful and agile. Many a vampire hunter has made the mistake of underestimating them.


A 125-year old vampire
photographed in Spain, 1901
Note the curved spine and
lack of hair  

The Virus To the Left HVV source: the bat flea Xenopsylla cheopsis To the right HVV carrier: Vampire bat The source of vampirism is the Human Vampiric Virus (HVV). Like Rabies, HVV belongs to the order Mononegavirales, viruses with a nonsegmented, negative-stranded RNA genome. Viruses in this group have a distinct bullet shape. The virus' natural host is a flea commonly found on cave-dwelling bats, especially the vampire bat. In the most common scenario, a bat which has been bitten by the flea passes the virus on to livestock and humans through a bite. Unlike many other viruses, the HVV virus is not airborne. Airborne viruses can travel from one host to another through the air and quickly cause an outbreak by infecting a significant number of people through the air ventilation systems in large public buildings, like for example a casino or a shopping mall. While in theory HVV infection is possible through any exchange of bodily fluids, transmission occurs through the bite of an infected person in virtually every case. Stages of the Disease Stage One: Infection. Within hours of being bitten, the victim develops a headache, fever, chills and other flu-like symptoms as the body tries to fight off the infection. These symptoms can be easily confused with more common viral infections, although the presence of bite marks on the body are usually enough to confirm the diagnosis. This stage generally lasts between six and twelve hours, during which the vaccine is 100 percent effective. Image on the left: Electron micrograph of HVV (left); The virus budding off an infected cell (right) Stage Two: Vampiric Coma. Within 24 hours of being bitten, the victim will slip into a vampiric coma. During this phase, the pulse slows, breathing is shallow and the pupils are dilated. The large numbers of people mistakenly buried alive while in vampiric comas gave rise to the myth that vampires sleep in coffins. While it is commonly thought that anyone infected with HVV turns into a vampire, in fact only a small percentage of people survive vampiric comas. Generally, the young, the old and the feeble never come out of their vampiric comas and eventually die. The vast majority of people who survive vampiric comas are males between the ages of 18 to 35. Vampiric comas last about a day; the victim usually comes out of the coma the night after its onset. The vaccine is 50 percent effective when administered during Stage Two of the infection: the longer the victim has been in the coma, the less effective the vaccine. Image to the Right: In 1800 France, an infected woman is given a transfusion of goat's blood, a desperate, futile measure to ward off the disease Image to the Left: During vampire epidemics, many victims were buried while still in a vampiric coma Stage Three: Transformation. A bite victim who survives the coma will awaken fully transformed into a vampire. An acclimation period follows, characterized by confusion, despondency and paranoia. Most vampires begin to hunt within 24 hours of transformation. The vaccine is of no use at this point.

Vampire Sociology Vampire behavior resembles our own in more ways than we might imagine. By conducting extensive interviews with vampires, along with observing their behavior in the wild, scientists have been able to arrive a reasonable understanding of their world. The Newly Transformed The first few days after coming out of a vampiric coma are especially difficult for a vampire. A newly transformed vampire awakens disoriented, its judgment clouded by competing impulses and memories of its previous life. But all those are drowned out by a fierce, intense desire for blood. This urge for blood eventually snaps a vampire into focus, and it sets about finding a way to fill that urge. Image to the Left: researchers restrain a vampire being kept under observation in 1932 The Hunting Pack Though lone vampires are not uncommon, most vampires find it advantageous to either join an existing hunting pack or create one of their own. Each path has its own advantages. Joining an existing pack offers security, access to blood and protection from other packs. However, new members are low in the pecking order and are often forced to put themselves in dangerous positions, such as on advance scouting missions. In addition, new members of a pack are the last to feed, if they get to feed at all. Vampires possessing natural leadership skills may find it better to hunt on their own and eventually bring some of their victims into the fold. With vampires unable to reproduce, the hunting pack is the family unit of their life. In a successful pack, each vampire has its role, and there is little dissension. A typical pack is made up of four vampires, with one Alpha Vampire and three underlings. Four seems to be the ideal number for a hunting pack: any more than that, not everyone always gets a chance to feed; any less and the hunting becomes appreciably riskier. Of course, in the distant past, when vampire control was in a more primitive state, large vampire armies rose up and spread by overwhelming entire towns. Are vampires sentimental? Do they love? In a limited sense, yes. Vampires are capable of developing loyalties and behaving selflessly in the name of the pack. However, the pack is the only area of their lives in which they are not mercenary. Alpha Vampires Vampires packs are meritocracies, not democracies. There are no elections, no "show of hands" in a vampire pack. The most capable hunter and leader runs the show, and the others follow. The Alpha Vampire coordinates hunting strategy, gives assignments and makes all final decisions. There are perks to the job. During hunting, the Alpha generally hangs back in a less risky position. yet when a victim is seized, the Alpha drinks first. But the job has its perils too. For one, the Alpha has the difficult task of choosing replacements for fallen packmates. In this, it must walk a fine line. While the Alpha must be stronger than its fellow pack-mates, it cannot afford to carry weak, ineffectual hunters in the pack. But stronger pack mates can rise up and become a threat to its position. Like virtually all mammals, vampires assert their dominance through display behavior and fighting. Vampires hiss, bare their fangs and claws and showcase their prodigious leaping ability to try and intimidate rivals. Physical size and power are important but by no means the only determinant of Alpha status. In fact, intellectual capacity is more important than physical prowess in determining success and longevity as a vampire. While Alpha Vampires would seem to be in an enviable position, they actually have a higher mortality rate than non-Alphas. Each new challenge to an Alpha Vampire from within the pack takes its toll. Injuries pile up, including many of the permanently disabling variety. Vampires can lose an eye, have flesh torn off and break bones. Older vampires are far from the dashing, handsome types so often seen in movies. An older vampire is likely to be heavily scarred, with parts of its face missing. The ultimate fate of the Alpha Vampire is a grim one: cast out of the safety of the pack, no longer able to fight, the once powerful vampire is reduced to a solitary existence, subsisting on the blood of whatever cat or dog it can win the confidence of. Eventually, the Alpha succumbs to malnourishment or the weapons of vampire hunters. Fledglings When a recently transformed vampire joins a pack, it is usually taken under the wing of an elder, who helps the fledgling learn how to hunt. While some packs have no patience with slow learners, most fledglings are given a little bit of time to get up to speed. However, an unusually quick-learner is perceived as a threat and may be destroyed by the Alpha. Fledglings with ambition learn to keep a low profile and hide their agenda until the time is right. Hunting Vampires Will utilize all at their disposal to hunt while avoiding detection. They will have female pack members pose as prostitutes to lure male victims. They will haunt the shadows around nightclubs, sporting and concert venues and all-night diners. Prostitutes and homeless always make up a disproportionate number of victims. A given swath of real estate can only support so many vampires. While an urban area may offer more hunting opportunities for vampires, it also increases their chances of running afoul of another pack. The country is safer, but hunting opportunities may be few and far between. Therefore, vampire packs must be ruthless in defending their territory. Battles between vampire packs are almost unimaginably vicious. It is not enough to merely win the confrontation. To have a future, a vampire pack must show their rivals how ruthless they are. Treatment of Victims: Vampire treatment of victims can range from indifferent to barbaric. If a pack finds a suitable new member, it will keep that person in their midst until transformation is complete. Once a pack size is set, vampires will usually tear their victims apart after feeding. Some consider this behavior as proof that vampires are cruel, but in fact it is more a question of pragmatism than cruelty. Left intact, today's bite victim could become tomorrow's rival. More sophisticated packs hide the corpses of their victims so as to avoid alerting authorities to their presence. The Vampire Home Vampire dwellings of the modern era are the very definition of crude and utilitarian. Since vampires spend most of their waking hours out hunting, there is little need for creature comforts at home. A vampire's priorities are avoiding detection and getting out of the sun, and their abodes reflect the transient nature of their lives. If a vampire pack has found a particularly safe, secluded hiding spot, the vampires may make perfunctory efforts to dress it up with furniture and knick knacks. Music is one of their preferred indulgences, one they had to curtail in the face of nosy vampire hunters. Knowing that their lair may be discovered at any time, vampires travel light. In the country, they live in caves, abandoned mines and barns. In the city, they inhabit abandoned buildings and subway stations, or they tunnel under piers along the waterfront. It wasn't always this way. In the Middle Ages, when vampire packs roamed the countryside without fear of extermination, they enjoyed occupying lavish digs. Once set up in these palaces, Alpha Vampires would conspicuously display symbols of their success with all the windy self-importance of today's ruling classes. I mage Up: Agents clean up after a battle with vampires in an abandoned New York City subway station Hygiene A vampire is generally uninterested in personal hygiene. They dislike washing and will wear the same clothes as long as possible. However, because their hunting missions may require them to hide in plain sight, vampires have no choice but to wash themselves and put on new clothes (usually stolen from stores or taken off of victims) from time to time. Vampire Demographics The vast majority (about 80 percent) of vampires are males who were between the ages of 18 and 35 upon transformation. Another 10 percent are females between the ages of 15 and 35 upon transformation. The remaining 10 percent are males and females slightly outside the 15 to 35 age range upon transformation. The racial and ethnic makeup of a pack will generally mirror that of the local populace. Alpha Vampires are usually, but not always, male. Despite the fact that they do not age on a cellular level, vampire mortality rates have always been high. In 1800, a newly transformed vampire could expect to live 10 years on average. By 1900, that number had dropped to 5 years. In 1960, that number was only 2 years. The leading causes of death have also changed with the times. In the Middle Ages, vampiricide, or murder by other vampires, was the leading cause of death. By 1930, vampire hunters had become the number one killer. Vampire Religion It may come as a surprise to many that vampires practice religion. Perhaps because they share with us a desire to make sense of the world, vampires have sought to put their bloodlust into some sort of context. Historically, vampires see themselves as the antithesis of the prevailing religion in the land of their origin. Thus, the worship of Satan and Judas was born among vampire packs in Christian countries. Many vampires from Hindu countries believe themselves to be descended from Shiva, the god of destruction.