Virology SOP

Virology covers pathogen diagnosis, treatment, vaccine production, and containment. It is the primary guide for the Virologist and relevant for other Medical staff during outbreaks. Mechanics operate on virology-enabled stations such as Cork and Saltern, regardless of the current game mode. IPCs and cyborgs cannot carry biological pathogens and do not suffer allergies.

Policy, quarantine, and Code Violet escalation live in Medical SOP. Deliberate engineered release is covered under Bioterrorist.

First response

• Isolate symptomatic patients and close doors around contaminated rooms.
• Wear a sterile mask and gloves. Nitrile gloves are sterile medical PPE and become dirty after surgery or contamination. For airborne outbreaks, wear both a virology biosuit and matching hood; an incomplete suit leaks.
• Keep contaminated protective equipment on until you can remove it safely. Remove the suit, hood, and mask while still wearing gloves.
• Enable powered vent scrubbers. Airborne pathogen load is invisible to gas analyzers and is not an Atmos gas.

Rapid swab diagnosis

1. Use a fresh disease swab on the patient.
2. Use the collected sample on the disease diagnoser.
3. Read the printed report for pathogen, stage, dose, and sample type.

The diagnoser requires Virology or CMO access. It does not consume the sample, so a positive sample can later be used by the vaccinator.

Incubating infections always produce a false-negative swab. A swab can also collect surface contamination from an otherwise uninfected patient, so a positive surface sample does not prove systemic infection.

Blood-panel diagnosis

1. Use an empty full-size chemistry vial on a patient with a bloodstream.
2. Place the vial into an electrolysis unit and run it.
3. Examine the processed vial.

The panel reports the first detected pathogen, stage, dose, matching antibodies, and a summary of damaged, failing, or missing organs. Low-dose incubation below 1.25 can be false-negative.

A blood sample can be used directly on a disease diagnoser or vaccinator without electrolyzing, but electrolysis is required for the detailed examine panel. The centrifuge is left for chemistry and changeling blood tests.

Health analyzer

An ordinary health analyzer shows organ condition and known allergies. It does not identify pathogens, infection stage, dose, immunity, contamination, or PPE protection. Use swabs and blood panels for diagnosis.

Pathogen reference

Untreated disease can drive a healthy patient near critical before natural recovery. Matching treatment reduces pathogen dose each tick and advances recovery sooner. Trace amounts do not treat; only one matching dose is applied per tick.

Medication

The Virology laboratory has its own chemistry setup. Virologists prepare treatments and support medication themselves rather than coordinating routine production with Chemistry.

Any configured treatment reagent in the bloodstream reduces infection dose each pathogen tick. Once dose falls below one quarter of the infective dose, the infection enters recovery.

• Antiviral treats flu, wound sepsis, and engineered bioagent, and also heals poison damage.
• Ceftriaxone is the antibiotic for bacterial pneumonia and enteric fever.
• Ribavirin is a specialized antiviral for hemorrhagic virus and neuroviral encephalitis.
• Amoxla remains an alternative treatment for wound sepsis.
• Antipyretic lowers dangerous fever but does not reduce infection dose.
• Medication does not replace isolation, PPE, or environmental cleanup.

Vaccine production

1. Obtain a positive swab or blood sample.
2. Use the sample on the vaccinator. The sample is consumed.
3. Use the produced vaccine on the intended patient.

Vaccines are pathogen- or strain-specific. They prevent new infection and can be administered during incubation, but they do not remove an infection already in progress. Vaccination fails once the matching infection is symptomatic or later.

Allergic reactions

The health analyzer displays structured allergies recorded on the character profile. Mild reactions can be supported with antihistamine; severe respiratory reactions need allergy epinephrine and normal emergency care. Synthetic crew do not receive or react to allergies.

Decontamination

• Sterile nitrile gloves and surgical tools lose sterility after applicable surgery and must be washed or sterilized before reuse.
• Sterilizine fully sterilizes compatible surgical tools and gloves.
• Powered active station vent scrubbers remove nearby airborne pathogen load.
• Paired virology airlocks linked to a sterilization chamber controller run an automatic cycle when the entrance closes: both doors bolt, harmless white fog fills only the chamber tiles, the fog fades, chamber air/surfaces/tools/gloves are sterilized, then the opposite door opens. Closing the inner lab-side door always starts another sterilization cycle so contaminated chamber air cannot leak outward.
• Losing power, unlinking, or door failure aborts the cycle without sterilizing.
• Sterilization does not cure an infected patient.

Outbreak procedure

1. On discovery of a contagious illness, notify Medical and the Chief Medical Officer at once. Isolate symptomatic crew before extended contact.
2. Don appropriate protective equipment before handling patients or contaminated areas. Masks and gloves are the minimum for routine contact; a sealed virology biosuit and hood are required for suspected airborne disease or unknown high-risk work.
3. Examine patients with a health analyzer for general condition and known allergies. Collect a fresh disease swab for rapid screening, and draw blood for an electrolyzed panel when confirmation of stage, antibodies, or organ involvement is required.
4. Treat early testing with caution. Incubating infections may evade detection, while surface contamination can produce a positive swab without proving systemic infection.
5. Quarantine may be ordered by the CMO. Release requires resolved symptoms and, when available, a negative follow-up test or documented immunity or vaccine status.
6. Treat active illness with the indicated antiviral, antibiotic, or specialized antiviral. Confirmed samples may be used to prepare strain-specific vaccines for uninfected or incubating crew. Vaccines do not cure established symptomatic infection.
7. Decontaminate between patients. Use powered scrubbers and sterilization chambers when leaving contaminated spaces.
8. Medical may request Code Violet when an outbreak threatens station-wide spread or overwhelms medical capacity. See Violet Alert Protocol in Medical SOP.
9. Naturally occurring outbreaks are medical incidents. Suspected deliberate release through food, atmosphere, or engineered strains requires Security involvement and preservation of samples and evidence — see Bioterrorist.
10. Live pathogen experimentation and intentional environmental release are prohibited outside authorized sealed containment.

Adapted from Sol in-game guidebooks.