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]]