Orientia tsutsugamushi
"O. tsutsugamushi" causes a complex and dangerous infection scrub typhus. Infection starts when chiggers bite on the skin during their feeding. The bacteria are deposited at the site of feeding (inoculation), where they multiply. They cause progressive tissue damage (necrosis). Necrosis progresses to inflammation of the blood vessels called vasculitis. This in turn causes inflammation of the lymph nodes, called lymphadenopathy. Within a few days, vasculitis extends to various organs including liver, brain, kidney, meninges and the lung. The disease is responsible for nearly a quarter of all the febrile (high fever) illness in endemic areas. Mortality in severe case or due to improper treatment or misdiagnosis may be as high as 30-70%. About 6% of infected people die untreated, and 1.4% of the patients die even with medical treatment. Moreover, death rate can be as high as 13% where medical treatment is not properly handled. In cases of misdiagnosis and failure of treatment, systemic complications rapidly develop including acute respiratory distress syndrome, acute kidney failure, encephalitis, gastrointestinal bleeding, hepatitis, meningitis, myocarditis, pancreatitis, pneumonia, septic shock, sub-acute thyroiditis, and multi-organ dysfunctions. Harmful symptoms involving multiple organ failure and neurological impairment are difficult to treat, and can be lifelong debilitation or directly fatal. The central nervous system is often affected and result in various complications including cerebellitis, cranial nerve palsies, meningoencephalitis, plexopathy, transverse myelitis, neuroleptic malignant syndrome, and Guillan-Barré syndrome. Death rates due to complications can be up to 14% in brain infections, and 24% with multiple organ failure. It is the major cause of acute encephalitis syndrome in India, where viral infection Japanese encephalitis has been regarded as the main factor.
Radian (Morituri)
However, Radian still faced the same ethical dilemma of whether his death of the Morituri effect equalled suicide and whether he should pursue a possible cure that could save all the Morituri's lives, including the life of Blackthorn's unborn baby. He even visited a nun, asking for enlightenment, but she assured him that his death as Earth's hero did not signify suicide. Radian then visited Dr. Kimmo Tuolema, the inventor of the process and asked him if a cure was likely to be found. Tuolema dashed his hopes, revealing that one of his colleagues, who was vital in the research for the cure, was kidnapped years ago by the Horde and possibly killed by them, making the prospect of a cure in the near future highly unlikely. After that, Radian contemplated that the Horde's story of possessing the cure could be true. Shortly afterwards, the team faced the Super-Hordians, a genetically mutated breed of more powerful Hordians. The team was almost vanquished by them, before Radian decided to turn himself over to the Super-Hordians, allowing himself to be led to their leader.