Diseases are abnormal conditions that affect the body of an organism which may be caused by external factors, such as exposure to toxins, viruses, or bacteria; and also internal factors, such as genetic abnormalities. Below is a list of diseases known to the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies.
Known Diseases[]
AEND[]
- Affected species: humans
- Characteristics: A terminal neurodegenerative disorder that is caused by repeated element zero exposure. Ellen Ryder is a known victim.
Ahok Fasciitis[]
- Affected species: asari
- Characteristics: A terminal disease that afflicts the asari. Its effects are unknown.
Alzheimer's disease[]
- Affected species: humans
- Characteristics: Progressive memory loss. Grayboxes were originally developed to combat this disease.
Angaran photoreceptivity degeneration[]
- Affected species: angara
- Characteristics: This unnamed disease is terminal to the angara, but occurs mainly in the angara who live in the sages commune of Mithrava on Havarl. For unknown reasons, the victim's body slowly loses its receptiveness to light. As angaran biology depends on light, the victim becomes weaker and weaker until they finally enter a coma and then expire. No cure is known.
Ardat-Yakshi[]
- Affected species: asari
- Characteristics: Ardat-Yakshi is a rare genetic condition that affects an asari's nervous system. The condition is not harmful to afflicted asari aside from causing sterility, but during mating an Ardat-Yakshi's nervous system overwhelms the victim's, resulting in hemorrhaging in the brain and often death. Ardat-Yakshi cannot be identified until an asari reaches maturity, when it is too late to correct. Morinth is affected by this condition.
Asari Cyanophage[]
- Affected species: asari
- Characteristics: A disease that requires direct bloodstream to bloodstream contact, similar to HIV.
Ayalon B[]
- Affected species: salarians
- Characteristics: A bio-engineered proto-syphilis created on Erinle by the salarians. It proved too volatile for mass manufacture, resulting in the destruction of all known samples.
Blood Plague[]
- Affected species: asari, turians, salarians, humans, possibly others
- Characteristics: A bio-engineered disease that was created by a faction of batarian extremists led by Jath'Amon who intended to assassinate the Citadel Council. It is communicable only in high concentrations, incubates very quickly, and has a 100% fatality rate.
Cancer[]
- Affected species: humans, possibly others
- Characteristics: Cancers are a group of diseases characterized by abnormal cell growth, possibly leading to the spread of malignant tumors to other parts of the body. Cancer is a common result of prenatal exposure to Element Zero.
Chickenpox[]
- Affected species: humans, possibly others
- Characteristics: A highly contagious disease characterized by rashes all over the body. Victims become immune to subsequent exposures after recovery.
Corpalis Syndrome[]
- Affected species: turians
- Characteristics: A rare disease that causes severe neurological degeneration in turians. Although no cure for Corpalis Syndrome yet exists, an anonymous donation and recently granted clearance to cooperate with the salarian Special Tasks Group has allowed the Helos Medical Institute to proceed with testing on a possible new treatment.
Ebola[]
- Affected species: humans
- Characteristics: Ebola is one of the rare natural viruses that can mutate to cross the species barrier. It affects humans and their less-evolved primate cousins.
Fortinbras Plague[]
- Affected species: batarian, drell, elcor, hanar, quarian, volus, possibly all Council races
- Characteristics: The Fortinbras Plague is an artificial chimera virus introduced to the multispecies occupants of ark Keelah Si'yah. Jumping from species to species even across biochemical barriers, the virus threatened to wipe out the ark's 20,000 souls until the synthesis and spread of a cure through the sacrifice of the ship's captain.
Genophage[]
- Affected species: krogan
- Characteristics: The genophage was a salarian-engineered bio-weapon created to drastically reduce the growth of the krogan population. It was deployed by the turians, successfully bringing about the end of the Krogan Rebellions. The genophage induced mutations in the krogan's genetic structure which reduced the viability of pregnancies, resulting in the majority of krogan offspring being stillborn.
H7N7 Flu[]
- Affected species: raloi
- Characteristics: An infectious disease that affects avian species. H7N7 Flu was introduced to the raloi during galactic welcoming ceremonies held on their homeworld, Turvess. The raloi delegation to the Citadel was forced to wear environmental suits to protect against being infected.
Herpes simplex[]
- Affected species: humans
- Characteristics: Herpes simplex is a viral infection caused by the herpes simplex virus. Commonly referred to as simply "herpes", Harkin believes that secrets should be spread around just like the disease.
Hunno Plague[]
- Affected species: elcor
- Characteristics: This disease manifested on Sangel's orbital facilities a few decades prior to the launch of ark Keelah Si'yah.
Kepral's Syndrome[]
- Affected species: drell
- Characteristics: A respiratory disease that afflicts drell. Kepral's Syndrome arose after the drell were evacuated from their arid homeworld of Rakhana to the hanar homeworld Kahje. Long-term exposure to Kahje's humid climate inexorably eroded the capacity for a drell's lungs to take in oxygen and damaged other organs, eventually causing death. While there is no cure for Kepral's Syndrome, hanar scientists are working on creating a genetic adaptation. Thane Krios is affected by this condition.
Marburg virus[]
- Affected species: humans, possibly others
- Characteristics: Marburg virus is one of the rare natural diseases that can mutate to cross the species barrier. It affects humans and their less-evolved primate cousins.
Migraine[]
- Affected species: humans
- Characteristics: A migraine is a headache that can cause severe throbbing pain, usually on one side of the head. It's often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to light and sound. Kaidan Alenko suffers from occasional migraines due to neurological damage incurred from his L2 biotic implants.
Neural decay[]
- Affected species: humans, krogan
- Characteristics: a degenerative neurological disorder that progressively reduces the cognitive capabilities of the victim, rendering them either compliant and docile or overly aggressive. Known ways of contracting the disease include eating anything from the local ecosystem of 2175 Aeia or prolonged periods in cryostasis. It is not a curable condition. Some recovery can be expected if the victim is weaned off the tainted food from Aeia, and in the distant Andromeda galaxy Dr. Lexi T'Perro can develop a serum that may hold off the symptoms.
Otitis media[]
- Affected species: humans
- Characteristics: an earache caused by minor infection, which can be brought by immune systems still adjusting to new environments. It isn't deemed serious enough to deny immigration to Andromeda Initiative outposts.
Ochreous Rhinophage[]
- Affected species: elcor
- Characteristics: An ancient elcor pandemic that had an R-nought number of six to nine, meaning it can infect that many elcor before the host dies.
Omega Plague[]
- Affected species: turians, batarians, krogan, possibly others
- Characteristics: A bio-engineered airborne disease developed by the Collectors and unleashed on Omega. The plague has a near-perfect fatality rate, killing dozens of members of various species throughout the space station, but has no effect on humans or vorcha. Salarian scientist Mordin Solus eventually develops a cure that eliminates the plague.
Sangelian hemorrhagic fever[]
- Affected species: Unspecified, possibly elcor
- Characteristics: This disease is one of the few that can mutate enough to jump between species. Presumably named after the planet which lies within elcor territory.
Scale-Itch[]
- Affected species: varren, possibly others
- Characteristics: A sexually-transmitted disease only carried by varren. On the Normandy SR-2, Mordin Solus notes that the disease has somehow gotten aboard the ship, stating the implications are unpleasant.
Shingles[]
- Affected species: humans
- Characteristics: The virus causing chickenpox may lay dormant inside victims for many years. This disease is caused by reactivation of the virus if the host becomes immunocompromised.
Simian Bacterial Fever[]
- Affected species: Unspecified
- Characteristics: An infectious disease that causes severe vomiting and fever; any other symptoms have not been specified. In 2185, there was a significant shortage of vaccines for this disease. A heavyweight contender of the Galactic Combat Sports League, Bant Cruor, came down with simian bacterial fever at the same time as the shortage.
Teukrian flu[]
- Affected species: Unspecified, possibly asari
- Characteristics: This disease is one of the few that can mutate enough to jump between species. Presumably named after the planet which lies within asari territory.
TH-314[]
- Affected species: humans, transmissible to other species except angara.
- Characteristics: A rare and highly contagious viral disease that is lethal to those who contract it. No cure exists. T-314 has three stages. In stage 1, those infected with it are carriers, the disease lies dormant and produces no symptoms and is non-contagious. Stage 1 can continue indefinitely or advance to stage 2 at any time. Physical stressors, such as awakening from prolonged cryogenic suspension, can trigger stage 2. In stage 2, the victim becomes violently paranoid. In stage 3, the disease becomes extremely contagious, airborne, and transmissible to other species, before killing the original victim. A human carrier of TH-314 named Ruth Bekker joined the Andromeda Initiative and traveled aboard Ark Hyperion. Upon awakening in Andromeda, her disease flared up and threatened to cause a pandemic across the Heleus Cluster, but she was dealt with by Pathfinder Ryder.
Thunowanuro Megafluenza[]
- Affected species: elcor
- Characteristics: A disease known to ENT elcor doctors, possibly named after the planet.
Titan's Tears[]
- Affected species: turians
- Characteristics: A rare hemorrhagic fever.
Vrolik Syndrome[]
- Affected species: humans
- Characteristics: Osteogenesis imperfecta, also known as Vrolik Syndrome, is a human genetic bone disorder that causes connective tissue to develop improperly, resulting in extremely brittle bones. Jeff "Joker" Moreau is affected by this condition.
Yoqtan[]
- Affected species: volus
- Characteristics: A highly contagious infection similar to human chickenpox. Apparently targets some glands that do not have analogues in other species. Symptoms include a rash of dark-blue sores, swollen tongue, high fever, chills, and in severe cases, persistent nausea. All volus contract Yoqtan in childhood although it isn't lethal: prescribed treatment is merely "soothing baths and a mother's love", and only the weakest children succumb to it.