Chimera (virus) 5637418 213359367 2008-05-18T23:58:58Z 128.12.68.123 /* In fiction */ == Headline text == A '''chimera virus''' is defined by the [[United States Department of Agriculture]] Center for [[Veterinary Biologics]] as a "new hybrid microorganism created by joining [[nucleic acid]] fragments from two or more different [[microorganisms]] in which each of at least two of the fragments contain essential [[genes]] necessary for replication."<sup>[http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/cvb/notices/2005/23.pdf]</sup> The term ''[[chimera (genetics)|chimera]]'' already referred to an individual [[organism]] whose body contained [[cell]] populations from different [[zygotes]] or an [[organism]] that developed from portions of different embryos. In [[mythology]], a [[chimera]] is a creature formed from parts of different [[species]], such as a [[hippogriff]] or a [[gryphon]]. ==In fiction== In ''[[Mission: Impossible II]]'', the pharmaceutical corporation BioCyte engineered a chimera virus in order to create a need for the vaccine [[list of fictional medicines and drugs|Bellerophon]], which they had also created. The vaccine is only effective within twenty hours of exposure. In the video game ''[[Resistance: Fall of Man]]'' the Chimera virus turn humans to a hostile aliens also called Chimera. In ''[[Rainbow 6]],'' [[Tom Clancy]] posits a plot by a biotech billionaire to wipe out humanity, using a strain of the [[Ebola]] virus altered by addition of [[colon cancer]] genes. (Except the virus is called Shiva in this book.) <Irrelevant> (A previous [[biological warfare]] attack, in ''[[Executive Orders]],'' had failed because * the Ebola virus quickly spreads through a small population, killing everyone, then "burns out" when it runs out of hosts. Ebola has caused a number of small outbreaks but no large [[epidemic]]. * The U.S. Government had launched an effective [[public health]] response—led by the [[CDC]] and epidemiologists from [[Johns Hopkins]]—which contained each outbreak and quarantined all patients. Despite ingenious use of [[aerosol]]s to spread the virus at a number of large [[trade show]]s, only five thousand were killed.) ==See also== *[[Ebola#Weaponization|Ebola]] *[[Smallpox#Biological weapon|Smallpox]] ==References== [http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/cvb/notices/2005/23.pdf Notice on the USDA website] [[category:viruses]]