I don't understand the 'infection' mechanism

whereisLee

If you get bitten, of course you become one of them.

But what about spattered blood getting into your mouth or into your open wounds?

I know TV show and this game are not same, but I think they share same world. same rule.

Daryl is always wounded, and he slashes walkers brutally, splattering walker blood all around, I think his wounds were contacted with walker blood at least once.
why doesn't he ever get infected? is that because if he dies we riot?

Dont_Look_Back

I know, don't they get it in there eyes and stuff? and I know people have cuts, and they have to get the blood on there cuts.

This is why I think it only spreads through saliva, not blood. And its also why I think if you cut off saritas arm, she will live.

MeMeLord

Blood or saliva into your bloodstream = dead
Blood or saliva into your eyes, mouth, nose = no consequences
You die = you reanimate

Carley123

I think its similar to AIDS in a werid way.
If you and someone one with aids both had a cut on your arm and rubbed the cut together the chance of getting AIDS is like 1% but if you have sex with them it's waaaaay more. I think you can get zombie blood in your body and the chance is low but getting bit is what does it.

PassiveAgressiveGary

My theory:
What I think is that when you get bit, you get large quantities of this ''zombie virus'' (or bacteria, whatever). We heard in season 1 (of the game) that everyone's already infected, so why didn't they turn? Because of the small amount of this ''zombie virus''. A possible explanation for the blood contact thing, is that there is not enough of this ''zombie virus'' in (walker)blood to get sick, but in the saliva of a zombie, there is.

whereisLee

Uh...wait a minute....I thought direct blood contact is MOST dangerous, and intercourse is next dangerous thing, am I wrong? That's why people warn about sharing toothbrush. If both of them have wounds in their mouth, one can get infected by the small amount of blood.

Dont_Look_Back

well I always have open wounds on my hands, (its a weird habit) (I don't cut or anything don't get that idea) so I better be carefull then. O_O

angrykurd

Naw there are needle accidents everyday in hospitals, it is dangerous but it does not equal 100% chance of infection. going back to the walker blood it seems as if the blood does not accelerate reanimation that would be the work of saliva.

A small hypothesis based on observations in the game and series, I have not read the comics yet.

Dont_Look_Back

this makes ALOT of sense. maybe she will just get a fever, but it wont be strong enough to be fatal.

TheCygi

the mouth is a breeding ground for bacteria, the virus itself isn't what kills, it'd be this bacteria that's more or less mutated within the infected that causes the sickness that ultimately kills. if u're already infected, you dont got "more infected" just by coming into contact with it. it's not radiation poisoning that just builds up.

OmidShouldHaveLived

Don't overthink it... Honestly, the answer is probably: whatever's most convinient to the plot.

Dont_Look_Back

the zombies have a virus in there saliva, so when the saliva gets in your blood, all it does is kill you. then the rest happens on your own. the zombie bite doesent make you turn.

Dont_Look_Back

WAIT WAIT GUYS?! does a scratch make you turn? I mean, there's no saliva or anything on the nails, but I don't think anyone has turned from a scratch though.

angrykurd

it could also be that the virus is dormant until a human being dies it only activates when someone dies and it accelerates when someone is bitten. Probably due to the huge virus amount.

Dont_Look_Back

xD

whereisLee

In 'resident evil', one scratch is enough. that's why nearly all humans were wiped out after some years.

but not in walking dead....if a scratch could turn you, Daryl is already gone.

angrykurd

yeah, the bite is perhaps only a "tool" for the virus. I'm wondering if this spreading is encoded within the virus as to survive. Meaning that the virus has some sort of self preservation thing going on.

Megami_Kizukanai

Maybe the wound will get infected, since a rotten corpse did it.

whereisLee

I've heard similar thing about usual bacteria. People say 'don't punch someone's mouth with bare hand' because human teeth and saliva can be poisonous.

darky07

But under the nails theres a lot of dirt and i bet bacteria, or maybe is not that, maybe if those nails have blood?

Flog61

Blood into your mouth or nose would end up going into the bloodstream

MeMeLord

No, it won't. Comic confirms that.

MeMeLord

Kirkman said that the bite just kills you, the virus that reanimates you is different.

tauer

But it WOULD end up going into the bloodstream... that just means that the comics are medically incorrect. It's also an inconsistency that has annoyed me.

Dark_Star

It happened to Lee if you chose the look at the trash first in ''Around Every Corner'' In ''No Time Left'' depending on what did you look at first, your bite mark changes.

whereisLee

i didn't read the comics, but human eyes are nearly exposed inner organs. That's why in '28 days later', a drop of blood into eyes can turn them.

Dont_Look_Back

can you post a picture please?!

Gorthaur

The zombie 'virus' itself is either waterborne, airborne, or both. Everyone's infected. However, it lies dormant in the body of the host, weakening their immune system but not doing much else. When a zombie bites someone, the pathogens and bacteria in the zombie's rotting mouth cause an intense infection. This, coupled with the virus' weakening of the immune system, causes the host to quickly succumb to a variety of bacterial illnesses, quickly killing them, causing them to turn. They also turn if they die, regardless of being bitten or not.

As for saliva, it's the saliva that helps cause the infection, so yes, saliva infects you. But blood is unknown. I think actively dripping zombie blood into someone's eye would infect them ala 28 Days Later, but then again, Kirkman's never mentioned blood in his talk about how the zombie 'virus' works.

Clem_Everett

I think is walker drool. like the Komodo Dragon.

Dark_Star

I wish I could. But I can't find anywhere in Google. Just open or copy your save file and see it yourself. Don't forget to keep the arm. That little detail they added in the game, might be matter later. Who knows? Maybe *gulp* we can see ''The Return Of Lee Everett'' DIN DIN DIIIIIIIIIN :D

Finnisher

There's no bloodstream rule. It's just bite or scratches I think. No specific instance to prove your blood into bloodstream rule comes to my mind at the moment but if you recall such an instance, feel free to enlighten me. It would seem plausible at if the exposure was long-term at least.

MeMeLord

28 days later was even worse in terms of realism.

MeMeLord

Governor kissing his teethless little zombie niece=survive
Nicholas getting zombie blood in his slash-wound=death

Dont_Look_Back

I don't play it on computer and don't have season 1 anymore :( all I have or season 1 is episode 1, for 400 days, but that is.

Dark_Star

I found one h ttp /guides.gamepressure.com/thewalkingdead/gfx/word/203773718.jpg this is scratch one.

whereisLee

Honestly, I'm starting to think Kirkman didn't expect his creation would be this mega success, maybe he DIDN'T think about medical facts that much at first and now it's too late to correct trivial scientific errors.
Just guessing.

Anyway i'm glad he created The Walking Dead.

Finnisher

Hmm... I think I haven't yet read that issue (124?) but thanks for the spoiler, lol. Good to know that.