Fiction:Nekuru Virus

The Nekuru Virus is a highly-infectious viral disease, originating on the planet Nekuru, from which its name is dervied. It repairs and reanimates damaged cells in dead bodies, causing the deceased to resume functioning, though causes highly agressive tendancies in the reanimated - now reffered to as zombies. The virus is an extreme biological hazard, capable of infecting a wide variety of biochemistries and anatomy types, from multiple galaxies, including most, if not all, known species in the Andromeda and Milky Way galaxies. This is theorized to be due to it not being so much a chemcially infective as physically infective disease; that is, it hijacks the existing neurological systems of the afflicted and forcefully restructures certain aspects of the body to allow its own biological systems to grow in and around it.

It was thought the Nekuru virus was eradicated within three years of discovery, though drifting vessels filled with infected are occassionally found drifting through space at sub-light speeds. Referred to as Death Ships, these vessels are highly dangerous, and pose the risk of planet-wide infection and catastrophic death-tolls.

Should a planet become infected, the only way to fully erradicate the virus on the planet is to glass the world, wiping all possible life from the planet, and all infected with them. There is no known cure.

Symptoms
Coma onset approximately 20 hours after first symptoms appear and 12 hours after noticeable dementia. Coma onset can be considered onset of death. High blood viscosity results in negligible blood flow from gunshot, puncture, and slashing injuries.
 * Flu-like symptoms with high fever, plus severe dementia in later stages.
 * A period of sporadic cellular necrosis occurs which comes to resemble gangrene. Surviving tissue assumes its original function and is highly resilient.
 * Red blood cells greatly increase oxygen storage capacity, resulting in slower blood flow and increased muscle endurance and strength.
 * Nervous and muscular systems are unaffected by total organ failure for several hours.
 * Metabolism may decrease to extremely low levels, allowing subject to survive for over 10 years without nutrition.
 * Conditioned behaviour, motor controls, and instinctive behavioural mechanisms are damaged, and cognitive abilities are severely retarded and erratic. Many non-sapient species will experience excessive brain necrosis and become inactive.
 * Subject can adapt to its damaged nervous systems but is limited to basic physical activities, including standing up, balancing on two legs, walking, biting, grabbing, and crawling. Subject will energetically move towards sights, sounds, and smells it associates with prey, and attempt to consume it.
 * Neutralising fully-infected subjects requires significant cranial trauma.

Zombies
When an infected individual reanimates, they still continue to decompose, though at a significantly reduced rate. This creates the easily-recognisable appearence of the undead, as their boddies slowly rot away. This decomposition is not swift, however, and zombies can survive for upwards of fifteen years before decomposition renders them inert.