Perfect Viruses are almost impossible. Every Virus is going to have its own issues, but my version of a virus is this.
My virus would be called the "Desmodus rotundus virus." Desmodus rotundus is the scientific name of the Vampire Bat. The host for my virus would be the Vampire Bat. In the book, Spillover, Quammen states all of the many reasons why bats are such common host species for many viruses, which is why I chose the Vampire Bat as my host. One article states that "Bats like to live close to one another, snuggling up as they roost, giving plenty of opportunities for pathogens to spread between the bats" which is why they are so commonly the cause of many spillovers of diseases to humans. They also state that "Viruses are totally dependent on the host to replicate, unlike bacteria, and consequently they require quite specific conditions. When bats fly, their internal temperatures are ramped up to around 40oC (104oF), which is too hot for many viruses. This will kill off a lot of the viruses in the bats, leaving only those hardy viruses that have evolved tolerance mechanisms. Unfortunately for us, this also means they can tolerate a burning human fever." This shows why Bats are able to survive and live with all of these diseases but when they get transmitted into the human body, we oftentimes suffer.
Vampire Bats feed entirely on blood. They feed mostly on animals’ blood but occasionally on human blood. This virus would infect humans and would be spread through the animals that have been bitten by the Vampire Bat. One can get the virus through being exposed to the animals that were infected through consumption or open wounds. This virus also can be transmitted through saliva or feces exposure. The virus can also be transmitted directly to humans if they are bitten by a vampire bat. All vampire bats have this virus and are able to transmit the virus to the animals/humans that they are feeding off of.
The symptoms of this virus include nausea, headache, vomiting, dizziness, and a fever. The genome to this virus would be RNA because of its mutation rate. RNA mutates faster than RNA therefore it is able to affect more people because of its mutation rate. Quammen states that that the “high rates of mutation, their high rates of replication, RNA viruses are very adaptable, he reminded me, and every spillover presents a new opportunity to adapt and take hold” (Quammen 344). This virus is able to mutate and adapt making it more difficult to get rid of.
This virus can live inside animals for as long as the animal lives. This virus also lives inside bats from the moment they were born. When someone becomes infected with this disease, the incubation period is 6-10 days after being exposed. The vampire virus will be killed or stopped through the extinction of vampire bats as well as tests that show when an animal has been exposed to the virus. When humans stop being exposed to the virus, the virus will be stopped from spreading. Humans are not able to spread it from human to human! There will also be medications that are able to cure humans that are infected with this virus.
Andrew, Elise. “Why Do Bats Transmit So Many Diseases?” IFLScience, IFLScience, 11 Mar. 2019, www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/why-do-bats-transmit-so-many-diseases/.
Quammen, David. Spillover: Animal Infections and The Next Human Pandemic. W.W. Norton & Company, 2012.