Las Plagas

Las Plagas ("The Plagues" in Spanish) are a fictional breed of parasitic organisms from the Resident Evil series of survival horror games.

Unlike the T-Virus, which turns its victims into mindless zombies, the hosts of Las Plagas (such as the Ganados) retain their intelligence and are capable of following complex instructions and working collectively to pursue their target. For these reasons, they can be considered in some ways to be more dangerous than Umbrella's viral-born mutants, which tend to be uncontrollable, if not completely mindless.

History of "Las Plagas"

Las Plagas were first discovered by a religious group in Europe known as "Los Illuminados" in an unknown region of Spain. The cult used Las Plagas as a means of recruiting new members; however, the first castellan of the Salazar family opposed the cult and sealed off access to the parasites under his castle.

Centuries later, Osmund Saddler, the new leader of Los Illuminados, brainwashed Ramon Salazar, the eighth Salazar castellan, into joining Los Illuminados and opening the seal that concealed Las Plagas. The two hired the local villagers to excavate the tunnels beneath the castle.

Due to years of concealment, Las Plagas fossilized in the rock below Salazar's castle. However, Las Plagas were still alive at the microscopic level as spores within the fossils. The miners excavating the site accidentally inhaled the spores, which grew into full-fledged Plagas parasites within their bodies. Saddler cultivated the spores, growing them into eggs, and then injected his followers.

Albert Wesker, who is now apparently dedicated to rebuilding the Umbrella Corporation, had sent Jack Krauser to earn Saddler's trust enough to secure "The Sample", but Saddler did not trust Krauser enough to allow him access. Wesker subsequently sent Ada Wong to complete the mission. She used Leon's presence to cover her own, secured "The Sample", and gave it to her true employer, an unnamed organization, instead of Wesker.

"The Sample" is really a sample of a Master Plagas, which could take absoulute control of the lesser Plagas

Characteristics

Las Plagas is a type of parasite that alters its host's behavior by attaching itself internally to the central nervous system. The undeveloped parasite is found between the lungs, beneath the heart, where it can tap into the host's spinal cord. Unlike other parasites, Las Plagas are social organisms, meaning that they work together for survival. Luis Sera postulates that they have a collective intelligence. It is also believed that the parasites can communicate with each other through a unique ultrasonic wave frequency, although this is purely hypothetical. Nevertheless, the Ganados appeared to be under the influence of Saddler, who carried a staff mounted by a large fleshy mass with plaga characteristics. The loyalty of a parasite depends on the personality of the host; it may be possible for an infected person to betray a controller. This could explain the behavior of the game's mysterious Merchant and the dead bodies of the Ganados found scattered throughout the game.

Besides influencing the actions of those they infect, infestation has several distinct symptoms. These include, but are not limited to: coughing up blood, convulsions, sudden unconsciousness, hallucinations or nightmares, blood vessels swelling and becoming visible throughout the skin, and discoloration of the iris – usually to a reddish color, or a glowing orange color at nighttime.

The parasites also have a high adaptability rate, as they can possess other kinds of organisms besides humans, referred to as "Ganados", (Ramon Salazar uses infested wolves, or Comillos, as guard dogs in his castle). In addition to the Ganados, Saddler and his men also performed genetic experiments with the parasites and human specimens, producing El Gigante, Regenerators, Verdugos, and the U3. Novistadors do not appear to be infected with Las Plagas as they never manifest any of the characteristics of infection or Las Plagas. They appear to be loyal to Salazar and presumably Osmund Saddler.

All of the members of Los Illuminados, including Saddler himself, are hosts to Las Plagas. Saddler, Salazar, and Bitores Mendez, the village chief, appear to be host to "master" plaga that exert either minimal or no influence over their host, as their actions and speech remain relatively lucid and coherent.

Except for manifesting when the host body experiences sufficient trauma, Las Plagas have no true mutagenic effect on the host's body. While Las Plagas infecting the Ganados and Colmillos can manifest and mutilate the body of their host, they do not actually induce any significant mutation or physiological change, like Umbrella's myriad viruses do. Other creatures, like the Novistadors and Garradors, do exhibit mutation, but this is the result of actual genetic manipulation, not an effect of casual infection. Many of the bosses (higher members of Los Illuminados) do have significant changes to their body structures, including segmented bodies and tentacles. However, it is unknown if this is the result of mutation or simply manifestation of the plagas. However, it is the fact that victims exhibit no outward signs of infestation, besides reddish-discolored irises, and the fact that their actions can be coordinated, which makes Las Plagas a very dangerous threat, since they are much more subtle and invasive than Umbrella's viruses, and can be used to assume direct control over individuals.

A memo written by Luis Sera gives three real-life examples of flukes that can influence their host's behavior, Dicrocoelium dendriticum, Galactosomum and Leucochloridium.

There are three different types of normal Plagas, commonly known as the Tentacle type, the Worm type, and the Spider type.

• The Tentacle type is the most commonly encountered. It resembles a sort of stalk with several tentacles growing out of it, hence the name. It attacks by swinging a large, scythe-like tentacle at its enemies. The villagers and the militia are the ones who sprout this plaga the most.
• The Worm type resembles a fat worm or centipede, and attacks by engulfing and tearing off the head of any enemy within range, only Zealots and three suits of armor encountered in the game have this particular plaga.
• The Spider type is the only Plaga capable of movement outside a host. It resembles a large spider, and attacks by spitting an acidic fluid at long range, and devouring the head of its enemies at close range. When a Ganado infected by a Spider type would normally be killed, the parasite detaches from the host body and attacks on its own. Only zealots and militia have this particular plaga, and is even seen in one area of the game appearing by itself in a boss fight.

Countermeasures

If a person has been infested with the parasite, then it can be neutralized with medication before the egg hatches. However, once the Plaga has hatched, the only way to get rid of the parasite is by undergoing a special kind of radiation treatment. Specialized medication can be used to suppress the growth of the parasite until then - this both prevents the Plaga from gaining full control of its host and increases the host's chance of surviving the removal process. During this process, Las Plagas clinch onto the host's nerves, causing an extreme burning feeling. This extremely painful procedure has the possibility of impairing the host's consciousness, and may kill the host if the Plaga has already matured into adulthood. It appears to be difficult or impossible to kill a mature Plaga without killing the host; the creature's incorporation into the host's central nervous system is too advanced.

Luis Sera, a researcher who betrayed Saddler, after extensive research into Plaga removal techniques, built an operating machine - the Plaga Removal Laser - which kills Plagas with this radiation.

Las Plagas are also revealed to be photosensitive. They will only emerge from their hosts at night, and sudden exposure to very bright light causes the parasite to explode, as seen when one is exposed to a Flash Grenade.