Changes: Phage

Revision as of 16:12, 6 December 2014

For the VOY episode of the same name, please see "Phage".

The phage was a disease that afflicted the Vidiians, killing thousands daily for approximately 2,000 years. The disease was highly adaptive to nearly every new form of medical treatment, and adapted so fast that their "immunotechnology [could not] keep up." It consumed the Vidiians, at first disrupting their genetic code, then devouring their body tissues and destroying cellular structures. One of the early symptoms of the disease was excruciating joint pain. Some victims had been known to die simply from the agony itself, and euthanasia of afflicted persons was common. (VOY: "Phage", "Faces")

The Vidiians survived in the short term by making extensive use of transplantation and organ piracy, using transporter technology to literally steal healthy organs from the bodies of their owners. Increasingly desperate, the Vidiians resorted to kidnapping members of other species and experimenting on them.

A Vidiian scientist, Sulan, believed that research into Klingon genetic material would eventually lead to a cure. (VOY: "Faces")

In 2375, a group known as the Think Tank claimed to have cured the phage. (VOY: "Think Tank")

In 2376, Doctor Lewis Zimmerman was suffering from a disease which was similar to the early stages of the phage. (VOY: "Life Line")

The term "phage" is short for bacteriophage. The term "phage" itself literally means "to eat." A bacteriophage is a virus that reproduces within a bacterium - it infects bacteria by attaching a hollow protein tail to a bacteria cell wall, injecting DNA (or sometimes, RNA) into the cell. Bacteriophages live at the expense of the bacteria they inhabit, and in most cases eventually kill their bacterial hosts.

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+[[File:Sulan.jpg|thumb|A Phage victim]]
 {{ep disambiguation|VOY}}
+The '''phage''' was a [[disease]] that afflicted the [[Vidiian]]s, killing thousands daily for approximately 2,000 years. The disease was highly adaptive to nearly every new form of [[medicine|medical treatment]], and adapted so fast that their "immunotechnology [could not] keep up." It consumed the Vidiians, at first disrupting their [[DNA|genetic code]], then devouring their body tissues and destroying {{dis|cell|biology}}ular structures. One of the early symptoms of the disease was excruciating joint pain. Some victims had been known to die simply from the agony itself, and [[euthanasia]] of afflicted persons was common. ({{VOY|Phage|Faces}})
-[[Image:Sulan.jpg|thumb|A Phage victim]]
-The '''phage''' was a [[disease]] that afflicted the [[Vidiian]]s, killing thousands daily for approximately 2,000 years. The disease was highly adaptive to [[medicine|medical treatment]]. It consumed the Vidiians, at first disrupting their [[DNA|genetic code]], then devouring their body tissues and destroying [[cell (biology)|cellular structures]]. One of the early symptoms of the disease was excruciating joint pain. Some victims had been known to die simply from the agony itself, and [[euthanasia]] of afflicted persons was common. ({{VOY|Phage}})
-The Vidiians survived in the short term by making extensive use of transplantation and organ [[pirate|piracy]], using [[transporter]] [[technology]] to literally steal healthy organs from the bodies of their owners. Increasingly desperate, the Vidiians resorted to kidnapping members of other [[Races and cultures|species]] and experimenting on them.
+The Vidiians survived in the short term by making extensive use of transplantation and organ [[pirate|piracy]], using [[transporter]] [[technology]] to literally steal healthy organs from the bodies of their owners. Increasingly desperate, the Vidiians resorted to kidnapping members of other [[species]] and experimenting on them.
 A Vidiian [[scientist]], [[Sulan]], believed that research into [[Klingon]] genetic material would eventually lead to a cure. ({{VOY|Faces}})
+In [[2375]], a group known as the [[Think Tank]] claimed to have cured the phage. ({{VOY|Think Tank}})
+In [[2376]], [[Doctor]] [[Lewis Zimmerman]] was suffering from a disease which was similar to the early stages of the phage. ({{VOY|Life Line}})
-The phage had evidently been cured by [[2375]], by the group known as the [[Think Tank]]. ({{VOY|Think Tank}})
+{{bginfo|The term "phage" is short for bacteriophage. The term "phage" itself literally means "to eat." A bacteriophage is a virus that reproduces within a bacterium - it infects [[bacteria]] by attaching a hollow [[protein]] tail to a bacteria cell wall, injecting [[DNA]] (or sometimes, [[RNA]]) into the [[Cell (biology)|cell]]. Bacteriophages live at the expense of the bacteria they inhabit, and in most cases eventually kill their bacterial hosts.}}
-==Background information==
-The term "phage" is short for bacteriophage. The term "phage" itself literally means "to eat." A bacteriophage is a virus that reproduces within a bacterium - it infects [[bacteria]] by attaching a hollow [[protein]] tail to a bacteria cell wall, injecting [[DNA]] into the [[Cell (biology)|cell]]. Bacteriophages live at the expense of the bacteria they inhabit, and in most cases eventually kill their bacterial hosts (essentially by eating them).
-[[Category:Medical conditions]]
 [[de:Fresszelle]]
 [[es:Fago]]
+[[fr:Phage]]
+[[Category:Medical conditions]]