Topic: Inside the Pathology Lab

Lya

Date: 2016-01-02 22:12 EST
"Subject is a juvenile Rattus norvegicus, body size roughly 25 centimeters, tail cut off at 10 centimeters. Subject appears emaciated for the breed, with patchy coat, bald in places. Like previous subjects, subject is missing forelegs, evidence suggesting self-inflicted. Subject's eyes are hazy with a milky discharge. Beneath the fur, large maculopapular bumps can be seen, some which have formed absences.

Necropsy showed subject died of apparent malignant endocarditis, most likely caused by Streptobacillosis bacterium. However, blood tests have shown a limited presence of an unknown bacterium, suggesting perhaps a mutation.

In conclusion, unlucky 13 marks an official outbreak status amidst the local rattus population. Efforts should be made to minimize if not eradicate the current population to minimize human impact. As of yet there is no evidence this new strain has made the jump from animals to humans, but given the infections rates of both related Streptobacillosis and Spirillosis, caution is prudent."

Lya paused in her recording to glance at the queue of animals waiting for her patient slice of scalpel.

"It is also possible that the disease has spread to the wild dog population. I am troubled by the reports of increased aggression in afflicted subjects. Lethargy, not agitation is far more common."

The pathologist switched off the recorder. She always hated recording through mask and face shield, not when there were few diseases her blood did not simply resist, but it was necessary to maintain a low profile among her colleagues.

She looked down at 13 who was pinned down, splayed open with his little chest cavity spread, all of his organs removed and collected in separate jars. It wasn't clinical information to note how much agony the little guy must have been in his last hours of life. They'd yet to obtain a live subject infected so they had no timeline of how to disease ran. She suspected only a handful of days.

A sigh and she began the cleaning process. Once she was done she had two more cadavers to work on, both dogs.

Not included in her report, a detail she was going to reserve for now, was that she had found blood and flesh in all of the subjects stomachs. While rats are omnivorous, and do have a potential for cannibalistic tendencies, the conditions....No. A ponderance for another time.

She had too much work to do.