Changes: Plaga

Revision as of 14:45, 16 February 2020

Prime universe
(Capcom's primary storyline)

See also: Plaga Type 2 and Plaga Type 3

Plagas (プラーガ, purāga^?) are arthropods of an unknown taxonomical order. Plagas are parasitic in nature, and can survive in a number of host organisms from humans to canines. How long Plagas have existed on the Earth is uncertain, but historical accounts indicate they are native to the Iberian Peninsula and were almost eradicated several centuries ago. In their native Spain they are known as Las Plagas, which translates as "the plagues".

Plagas naturally have at least four stages in their life cycle: egg, stage 'A', 'B' and 'C'. It takes within days for a hatchling to complete maturation into the 'A' stage, by which point they have taken control of the host's nervous system. A human victim of the so-called "Recessive Plagas" is dubbed a "Ganado", the Spanish word for a herd of animals, particularly livestock such as cattle.

Because of their ability to control human beings, new species of Plaga were genetically engineered by bio-weapons developers for use in terrorist attacks. For the purpose of clarity, this article will focus on the naturally-occurring species of Plagas as well as the species engineered by Los Iluminados.

History

Origins

The Plagas were the focus of worship in an isolated, mountainous region of Spain around the late 18th-early 19th century. Salazar, a nobleman of indeterminate rank, led a brutal crusade in the region against its followers. Surviving Plagas were sealed within caves beneath a mound, separated from the nearby village by a deep valley trench and a large body of water. A fortress was built above it, of which Salazar and his descendent took on the role of Castellan, intent on preventing the Plagas' escape.^[1]

Resident Evil 4 Castle - Mine examine 1 — Fossilized Plaga

Around the Millennium, Osmund Saddler, a man with unspecified links to bio-weapons research, became aware of the organism and began plans to use the Plagas to gain money and influence on the international stage through the parasitisation of others. Taking on the role of a Prophet, leading the cult "Los Iluminados" - Spanish for The Enlightened Ones - Prophet Saddler gained the loyalty of Ramon Salazar, 8th Castellan, who agreed to release the Plagas to atone for his family's sins.^[2] The two, and the village workers hired to conduct the excavation,^[1] found the Plagas long since mummified in the low-oxygen environment.^[3] Hope was restored several years later when the spread of a strange disease amongst the workers revealed the Plagas had survived in the form of spores, and were in the process of growing within their new hosts.^[3]

Having established a large research complex and military base around ancient ruins on a nearby island, Los Iluminados began work on studying the Plagas, and over time genetically-engineered as many as three new species, which were significantly more difficult to be removed from the host. These species were the Recessive Plagas, which took control of the host; the Dominant Plagas which left the host alone, allowed them to issue commands to the Ganados, and imbued them with the ability to mutate at will; the third was the Queen Plaga, an organism living in the castle which asexually produced more eggs. As this offered great risk to Saddler's ability to control his growing organisation, the Dominant hosts were limited to himself, Salazar, and Fr. Bitores Mendez, the village priest who helped him convert the local population, who would serve as an army to keep out spies.^[1]

In continued human testing, Plaga research was found to mutate humans under certain circumstances, whether making them stronger, making them grow to giant proportions, or make them able to regrow entire bodyparts within seconds.^[4] Human-animal hybrids were created with the Plagas as well, leading to the Novistador; the Verdugo and U-3.

First Daughter abduction plot

In 2004, Los Iluminados made their move for world influence in an ambitious plot. Due to a leak by Dr. Luis Sera, the Organisation became aware of the Plagas, and sent their agent, Jack Krauser, to obtain a Plaga sample on the group's behalf. Krauser was instrumental in the kidnapping of Ashley Graham, daughter of President Graham, on her way home from the University of Massachusetts; having previously served in an Army special operations force, his skills made it a success. Graham was taken to Spain and injected with a Plaga egg through a syringe. There, it was expected she would become a Ganado and be taken back to the United States and serve to conduct operations on Saddler's behalf. Though the US government kept the kidnapping a state secret, they received an anonymous tip linking Graham to the area. With many agents being investigated by the government,^[5] only US-STRATCOM agent Leon S. Kennedy was forced to begin the investigation alone.

Meanwhile, Dr. Sera finally abandoned Los Iluminados and escaped the island base with a Dominant Plaga egg. Krauser, having become host of a Dominant Plaga himself, became a liability to both Saddler and the Organisation,^[6] and was forced to call for agent Ada Wong to continue the investigation in his place, and take the sample from Dr. Sera in exchange for his protection.^[7]

Over the course of the night, the different parties worked with and against one another. Kennedy was captured and implanted with an egg on the orders of Saddler,^[8] who wanted him as an additional mole in the US. Dr. Sera shifted between whether to hand over the Dominant egg to Wong or Kennedy. Krauser and Wong turned on one another, while both claiming loyalty to Dr. Albert Wesker, their Organisation liaison. By sunrise, Fr. Mendez; Salazar; Krauser and Dr. Sera were dead, the Queen Plaga was destroyed, Kennedy and Graham were free of the Plaga parasites, and the group's bioweapons research was in ruins along with their army of mind-controlled followers. With the death of Saddler, who stole the egg from Dr. Sera, Wong finally turned on Kennedy and took it on behalf of the Organisation, though helped Kennedy and Graham escape the island as explosives were set to cleanse the area.

In the aftermath of the incident, Wong followed orders from The Organisation to betray Dr. Wesker, and provided him with a Recessive Plaga, keeping the Dominant Plaga for her bosses.^[9] Dr. Wesker was initially set-back by this double-cross, but was successful in obtaining the remains of a Dominant Plaga from the body of Krauser. Genetic modification of the two samples was conducted by Tricell on Dr. Wesker's behalf, resulting in the creation of the Type 2 and Type 3 species. The Spanish authorities made attempts to quarantine the mountains to prevent surviving Plagas from spreading, though refugees who fled from Los Iluminados were parasitised when they returned home. Los Iluminados itself survived in a reduced form, and many years later worked with Glenn Arias, who used genes from their Plagas to create the A-Virus.

Biology

Plagas are capable of altering their host's behaviour by attaching themselves to the central nervous system, in humans between the lungs and heart. The maturation and take-over of the human hosts can be very painful and cause internal haemorrhaging, coughing up of blood, swelling of blood vessels around the eyes, fainting, convulsions,^[3] and hallucinations. For these reasons, child hosts of the parasites inevitably die soon after the eggs hatch.^[1] The Plaga begins altering the host's biochemistry from birth, with the changing of the eyes to red being a common sign.^{[notes 1]} The Plagas also cause mutations in their hosts while increasing their physical strength and durability. For example, Ganados can remain standing after sustain several gunshot wounds, and some can wield heavy tools without difficulty. If the body is severely injured, adult Plagas may tear through the neck and use their own bodies in self-defence.

Plagas are a social creature, and hosts thereby also form a pack mentality.^[10] Though hosts may communicate via speech, Dr. Sera's studies indicated that the Plagas themselves communicate via ultra-high frequency sound waves; a special organ exists to pick up these vibrations, which can be interpreted as commands.^[11] This system allows for the Dominant Plaga hosts to issue commands to Ganados. It has been observed that not all Plagas will act well to each other. Even after gaining control of the mountains, Los Iluminados saw fit to execute locals, using an abattoir near the village and the castle dungeons for executions.^[12] Ganado mutants such as the Gigantes also acted violently towards other hosts. Despite being host to a Plaga parasite, Kennedy was also attacked during his mission, and received a warning by Fr. Mendez of suffering consequences for going against them regardless of being a host.

Weaknesses and countermeasures

Los Iluminados recorded a number of manners in which the Plagas could be killed, including means which would not kill the host. Their research was for the ultimate goal of genetically-engineering a species which lacked these defects,^[13] though their finalised Recessive Plagas still have a number of weaknesses.

Plagas are extremely sensitive to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and thus avoid daylight. A radiation therapy procedure was developed by Dr. Sera's team, which would douse the patient in enough UV radiation to kill a Plaga without invasive surgery.^[13]^[14] This procedure was used to treat Kennedy and Graham. In both cases, the Plaga killed was a hatchling, and it is believed the chances of survival are significantly lower for hosts of adult Plagas.^[13]^[15] Relating to the UV treatment, Flashbangs were found to be effective as a means of killing Plagas that had emerged from their hosts at night.

The growth of hatchlings can be halted through certain forms of medication, as discovered by Dr. Sera's team, and this medicine can also kill unhatched Plagas.^[15] Dr. Sera handed this medicine to Kennedy and Graham when they were too far away from the island laboratory to receive UV treatment.

It is possible that Recessive Plagas can be killed through the destruction of the host's nervous system in a way that will keep the host alive but in a paraplegic state. This was performed on Alexander Kozachenko to prevent a Plaga taking over his body. However, this was a Dominant Plaga genetically-engineered years later by another group.

Recessive Plaga life cycle

Resident Evil 4 - Las Plagas 1 — Plaga A parasite replacing the head of its host

Once it hatches inside a human host, the larval Plaga undergoes three primary stages of development.

"Plaga A",^[16] which are identified by their pulsating masses of flesh and waving tentacles, with the longest tentacle having a scythe-like blade. This blade can be used as a weapon to slash enemies if threatened. Plaga As have also been seen within the bodies of dogs, known as Colmillos.

"Plaga B",^[16] which appear more hand-like in appearance. The tentacles of the "A" have become stronger and can serve to grab hold of nearby enemies. Midway down the body is a large mouth, which can bite into prey the size of a human head.

"Plaga C",^[16] which appear more spider-like in appearance, the arms having thinned out and become long legs. C Plagas can, if needed, force themselves entirely out of a host's body to escape.

Gallery

Further notes

All lower level Ganado are shown to have lost their need for personal hygiene, due to the observations Leon makes in the first few chapters of the game and various water sources throughout the game.
The Plaga B is the only of its kind (human host Plaga) that can perform an instant death attack, by literally biting Leon's (or any other of the Mercenaries in the mini-game) head off. This Plaga can also kill Ashley, having the same "head eating" animation, but would just hit her, making her fall lifeless in the floor.
The English localisation of Resident Evil: Umbrella Corps inaccurately refers to the ordinary Plagas of Spain as "Dummy Plagas." They are referred to instead as "recessive" in the Japanese game.

Bibliogrpahy

Hamamura, Koichi, ed (2006) (in Japanese). biohazard4 kaitaishinsho revised edition. Famitsu. ISBN 978-4-7577-2638-3.

Sources

Notes

↑ When Mendez ambushes Leon in the hallway of his house, Leon's irises when struggling against Mendez's strangulation of him briefly turned red, which led to Mendez deducing that Leon "carried the same blood" as the Los Illumnados. This occurred before the eggs hatched.

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 biohazard 4 Incubate.
↑ Resident Evil 4 (2005), file: "Castellan Memo".
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 Resident Evil 4 (2005), file: "Luis' Memo 2".
↑ Resident Evil 4 (2005), file: "Luis' Memo 3".
↑ Resident Evil 4 (2005), file: "Info on Ashley".
↑ Resident Evil 4 (2005), file: "Krauser's Note".
↑ Resident Evil 4 (2005), file: "Ada's Report 2".
↑ Resident Evil 4 (2005), file: "Chief's Note".
↑ Resident Evil 4 (2005), file: "Ada's Report 5".
↑ Resident Evil 4 (2005), file: "Luis' Memo 4".
↑ Resident Evil 4 (2005), file: "Ada's Report 1".
↑ Resident Evil 4 (2005), file: "Village's Last Defense".
↑ ^13.0 ^13.1 ^13.2 Resident Evil 4 (2005), file: "Luis' Memo 5".
↑ Resident Evil 4 (2005), file: "Luis' Memo 5"
↑ ^15.0 ^15.1 Resident Evil 4 (2005), file: "Letter From Ada".
↑ ^16.0 ^16.1 ^16.2 Hamamura, Kaitaishinsho, p.92.

[10] When Mendez ambushes Leon in the hallway of his house, Leon's irises when struggling against Mendez's strangulation of him briefly turned red, which led to Mendez deducing that Leon "carried the same blood" as the Los Illumnados. This occurred before the eggs hatched.

[:0-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 biohazard 4 Incubate.

[2] Resident Evil 4 (2005), file: "Castellan Memo".

[:1-3] 3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 Resident Evil 4 (2005), file: "Luis' Memo 2".

[4] Resident Evil 4 (2005), file: "Luis' Memo 3".

[5] Resident Evil 4 (2005), file: "Info on Ashley".

[6] Resident Evil 4 (2005), file: "Krauser's Note".

[7] Resident Evil 4 (2005), file: "Ada's Report 2".

[8] Resident Evil 4 (2005), file: "Chief's Note".

[9] Resident Evil 4 (2005), file: "Ada's Report 5".

[11] Resident Evil 4 (2005), file: "Luis' Memo 4".

[12] Resident Evil 4 (2005), file: "Ada's Report 1".

[13] Resident Evil 4 (2005), file: "Village's Last Defense".

[:2-14] 13.0 ^13.1 ^13.2 Resident Evil 4 (2005), file: "Luis' Memo 5".

[Luis5-15] Resident Evil 4 (2005), file: "Luis' Memo 5"

[:3-16] 15.0 ^15.1 Resident Evil 4 (2005), file: "Letter From Ada".

[Kai92-17] 16.0 ^16.1 ^16.2 Hamamura, Kaitaishinsho, p.92.

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[4]

[5]

[6]

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[8]

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Articletype|prime}}
-{{Seealso|Plaga Type 2|Plaga Type 3}}
 {{Infobox organism
 |jp name =プラーガ
-|image = [[File:Resident_Evil_4_Digital_Archives_-_Plaga_-_Final_Designs_P.65.jpg|thumb|Adult Plaga.<ref>[[Resident Evil 4 Digital Archives]], P65, Final Designs.</ref>]]
+|image = Resident_Evil_4_Digital_Archives_-_Plaga_-_Final_Designs_P.65.jpg
-|organism = Plaga
+|organism = Las Plagas
 |type = [[Parasite]]
-|creator = [[Los Iluminados]]
+|creator =
 |class =
 }}
+{{Seealso|Plaga Type 2|Plaga Type 3}}
+{{Nihongo|'''Plagas'''|プラーガ|purāga}} are arthropods of an unknown taxonomical order. Plagas are parasitic in nature, and can survive in a number of host organisms from humans to canines. How long Plagas have existed on the Earth is uncertain, but historical accounts indicate they are native to the Iberian Peninsula and were almost eradicated several centuries ago. In their native Spain they are known as ''Las Plagas'', which translates as "the plagues".
+Plagas naturally have at least four stages in their life cycle: egg, stage [[Plaga A|'A']], [[Plaga B|'B']] and [[Plaga C|'C']]. It takes within days for a hatchling to complete maturation into the 'A' stage, by which point they have taken control of the host's nervous system. A human victim of the so-called "Recessive Plagas" is dubbed a "''Ganado''", the Spanish word for a herd of animals, particularly livestock such as cattle.
-'''Las Plagas''' (a Spanish word translating literally to "''the plagues''") are a species of parasitic organisms. Unlike the [[t-Virus]], which turned its victims into mindless [[zombies]], the victims of Las Plagas (such as the [[Ganado]] and [[Majini]]) became much stronger and highly resistant to pain, while working collectively to pursue their targets. Other side effects include complete loss of higher reasoning - except in select subjects (who are nevertheless unable to resist the need to obey higher orders) - and full compliance to the [[Dominant Species Plaga]].
+Because of their ability to control human beings, new species of Plaga were genetically engineered by bio-weapons developers for use in terrorist attacks. For the purpose of clarity, this article will focus on the naturally-occurring species of Plagas as well as the species engineered by [[Los Iluminados]].
 ==History==
 ===Origins===
+The Plagas were the focus of worship in an isolated, mountainous region of Spain around the late 18th-early 19th century. [[Salazar]], a nobleman of indeterminate rank, led a brutal crusade in the region against its followers. Surviving Plagas were sealed within caves beneath a mound, separated from the nearby village by a deep valley trench and a large body of water. A fortress was built above it, of which Salazar and his descendent took on the role of Castellan, intent on preventing the Plagas' escape.<ref name=":0">''[[biohazard 4 Incubate]]''.</ref>
-The Plagas were first discovered by a religious group known as "[[Los Iluminados]]" (The Enlightened Ones) in an unknown, rural region of Spain. The cult used the parasites as a means of recruiting new members; however, the first castellan of the Salazar Family vehemently opposed the cult and sealed off access to the parasites in his castle.
+[[File:Resident Evil 4 Castle - Mine examine 1.png|thumb|Fossilized Plaga]]
+Around the Millennium, [[Osmund Saddler]], a man with unspecified links to bio-weapons research, became aware of the organism and began plans to use the Plagas to gain money and influence on the international stage through the parasitisation of others. Taking on the role of a Prophet, leading the cult "Los Iluminados" - Spanish for The Enlightened Ones - Prophet Saddler gained the loyalty of Ramon Salazar, 8th Castellan, who agreed to release the Plagas to atone for his family's sins.<ref>''Resident Evil 4'' (2005), file: "[[Castellan Memo]]".</ref> The two, and the village workers hired to conduct the excavation,<ref name=":0" /> found the Plagas long since mummified in the low-oxygen environment.<ref name=":1">''Resident Evil 4'' (2005), file: "[[Luis' Memo 2]]".</ref> Hope was restored several years later when the spread of a strange disease amongst the workers revealed the Plagas had survived in the form of spores, and were in the process of growing within their new hosts.<ref name=":1" />
+Having established a large research complex and military base around ancient ruins on a nearby island, Los Iluminados began work on studying the Plagas, and over time genetically-engineered as many as three new species, which were significantly more difficult to be removed from the host. These species were the Recessive Plagas, which took control of the host; the Dominant Plagas which left the host alone, allowed them to issue commands to the Ganados, and imbued them with the ability to mutate at will; the third was the [[Queen Plaga]], an organism living in the castle which asexually produced more eggs. As this offered great risk to Saddler's ability to control his growing organisation, the Dominant hosts were limited to himself, Salazar, and Fr. [[Bitores Mendez]], the village priest who helped him convert the local population, who would serve as an army to keep out spies.<ref name=":0" />
-Centuries later, [[Ramon Salazar]], the eighth Salazar castellan, was convinced by [[Osmund Saddler]], the new leader of Los Iluminados, to join his cult and break the seal that contained Las Plagas. The two then hired local villagers as miners to extract the parasites.
+In continued human testing, Plaga research was found to mutate humans under certain circumstances, whether making them [[Chainsaw Ganado|stronger]], making them [[El Gigante|grow to giant proportions]], or make them able to [[Regenerador|regrow entire bodyparts]] within seconds.<ref>''Resident Evil 4'' (2005), file: "[[Luis' Memo 3]]".</ref> Human-animal hybrids were created with the Plagas as well, leading to the [[Novistador]]; the [[Verdugo]] and [[U-3]].
-[[File:Fossilized Plagas.png|thumb|Fossilized Plaga]]
+===First Daughter abduction plot===
-Due to years of confinement, the Plaga parasites initially seemed dead. Some were later found fossilized (which normally takes millions of years) in the rocks below Salazar's castle. However, despite this, there were still living Plaga spores within the fossils. The miners that were hired to excavate the parasites inadvertently inhaled these spores, allowing the Plaga to grow within them and eventually take control of their bodies. Since then, Saddler was able to recreate the parasites wholly, injecting them in egg form into any potential host.
+In 2004, Los Iluminados made their move for world influence in an ambitious plot. Due to a leak by Dr. [[Luis Sera]], the Organisation became aware of the Plagas, and sent their agent, [[Jack Krauser]], to obtain a Plaga sample on the group's behalf. Krauser was instrumental in the kidnapping of [[Ashley Graham]], daughter of President Graham, on her way home from the [[University of Massachusetts]]; having previously served in an Army special operations force, his skills made it a success. Graham was taken to Spain and injected with a Plaga egg through a syringe. There, it was expected she would become a Ganado and be taken back to the United States and serve to conduct operations on Saddler's behalf. Though the US government kept the kidnapping a state secret, they received an anonymous tip linking Graham to the area. With many agents being investigated by the government,<ref>''Resident Evil 4'' (2005), file: "[[Info on Ashley]]".</ref> only [[US-STRATCOM]] agent [[Leon S. Kennedy]] was forced to begin the investigation alone.
+Meanwhile, Dr. Sera finally abandoned Los Iluminados and escaped the island base with a Dominant Plaga egg. Krauser, having become host of a Dominant Plaga himself, became a liability to both Saddler and the Organisation,<ref>''Resident Evil 4'' (2005), file: "[[Krauser's Note]]".</ref> and was forced to call for agent [[Ada Wong]] to continue the investigation in his place, and take the sample from Dr. Sera in exchange for his protection.<ref>''Resident Evil 4'' (2005), file: "[[Ada's Report 2]]".</ref>
-===Leon, Lewis and Ashley, and the Third Organization===
-[[The 3rd Organization]] learned of Las Plagas some time in 2004, when [[Ada Wong]] intercepted a desperate e-mail from Saddler's chief researcher, [[Luis Sera]]. Albert Wesker tasked the rogue former US-SOCOM operative [[Jack Krauser]] to infiltrate Saddler's inner circle in the hopes of acquiring a Plaga specimen. Although Saddler did not trust him, he gave Krauser a Dominant Species Plaga in exchange for his assistance. Saddler wanted to kidnap [[Ashley Graham]], the daughter of the US President, in order to convert her to Los Illuminados and subsequently infect her father upon release, allowing him to begin his conquest of the world. Krauser, as an American who had worked on Government missions before, was considered the perfect candidate for Ashley's abduction.
+Over the course of the night, the different parties worked with and against one another. Kennedy was captured and implanted with an egg on the orders of Saddler,<ref>''Resident Evil 4'' (2005), file: "[[Chief's Note]]".</ref> who wanted him as an additional mole in the US. Dr. Sera shifted between whether to hand over the Dominant egg to Wong or Kennedy. Krauser and Wong turned on one another, while both claiming loyalty to Dr. [[Albert Wesker]], their Organisation liaison. By sunrise, Fr. Mendez; Salazar; Krauser and Dr. Sera were dead, the Queen Plaga was destroyed, Kennedy and Graham were free of the Plaga parasites, and the group's bioweapons research was in ruins along with their army of mind-controlled followers. With the death of Saddler, who stole the egg from Dr. Sera, Wong finally turned on Kennedy and took it on behalf of the Organisation, though helped Kennedy and Graham escape the island as explosives were set to cleanse the area.
-Sera openly betrayed Saddler and his cult, removing the parasite egg from his body before it could hatch. In response, Saddler's men kidnapped Sera and held him captive in an old farm house on the outskirts of the village, intending to inject him with another egg after the effects of the medication he took wore off. [[Leon Scott Kennedy|Leon S. Kennedy]], an American agent and survivor of [[Raccoon City]] who had been sent by the US government to find Ashley, later rescued Sera after finding a note detailing the location of "the prisoner" (as Leon had assumed that this "prisoner" was Ashley), although they were apprehended immediately afterwards by [[Bitores Mendez|Village Chief Mendez]], who used his super-human strength to knock them both unconscious. Saddler took advantage of this opportunity to inject Leon with a Plaga egg. As soon as they escaped confinement, Sera stole a Plaga sample (which they needed to infect the US president) from Saddler, who later tracked him down in Salazar's castle and killed him. Leon, in turn, killed Chief Mendez and Salazar,<span style="font-style: normal; "> along with the majority of the [[Villagers|village population]], [[Zealots|castle cult members]], [[Ganado militia|island militia]], Plaga infected B.O.W.s (including [[Del Lago]], [[El Gigante]], [[Verdugo|the Verdugos]], etc.), and eventually, Saddler himself. Although Leon did fight and defeat Krauser, he was unable to kill him. Instead,</span> he is later found and killed by Ada. Leon and Ashley later managed to rid themselves of the parasites in their bodies via a machine built by Sera, and after defeating Saddler, escaped the self-destructing island via Jet-ski. But before they could leave the island, Ada took the Plaga sample from Leon by gunpoint.
+In the aftermath of the incident, Wong followed orders from The Organisation to betray Dr. Wesker, and provided him with a Recessive Plaga, keeping the Dominant Plaga for her bosses.<ref>''Resident Evil 4'' (2005), file: "[[Ada's Report 5]]".</ref> Dr. Wesker was initially set-back by this double-cross, but was successful in obtaining the remains of a Dominant Plaga from the body of Krauser. Genetic modification of the two samples was conducted by [[Tricell]] on Dr. Wesker's behalf, resulting in the creation of the Type 2 and Type 3 species. The Spanish authorities made attempts to quarantine the mountains to prevent surviving Plagas from spreading, though refugees who fled from Los Iluminados were parasitised when they returned home. Los Iluminados itself survived in a reduced form, and many years later worked with [[Glenn Arias]], who used genes from their Plagas to create the [[A-Virus]].
-Ada, who had hitherto feigned loyalty to Wesker, betrayed him and sent over a normal subordinate Plaga instead of the Dominant Plaga sample he requested, delivering the latter to an unnamed "organization" that she was actually loyal to. Nevertheless, Wesker later retrieved a sample of the Dominant Species Plaga from Krauser's corpse.
+==Biology==
-===Uses in bioterrorism===
+Plagas are capable of altering their host's behaviour by attaching themselves to the central nervous system, in humans between the lungs and heart. The maturation and take-over of the human hosts can be very painful and cause internal haemorrhaging, coughing up of blood, swelling of blood vessels around the eyes, fainting, convulsions,<ref name=":1" /> and hallucinations. For these reasons, child hosts of the parasites inevitably die soon after the eggs hatch.<ref name=":0" /> The Plaga begins altering the host's biochemistry from birth, with the changing of the eyes to red being a common sign.<ref group="notes">When Mendez ambushes Leon in the hallway of his house, Leon's irises when struggling against Mendez's strangulation of him briefly turned red, which led to Mendez deducing that Leon "carried the same blood" as the Los Illumnados. This occurred before the eggs hatched.</ref> The Plagas also cause mutations in their hosts while increasing their physical strength and durability. For example, Ganados can remain standing after sustain several gunshot wounds, and some can wield heavy tools without difficulty. If the body is severely injured, adult Plagas may tear through the neck and use their own bodies in self-defence.
-Wesker, in cooperation with [[TRICELL Inc, Africa|Tricell]], took the Plaga samples he retrieved from Spain and developed them further, creating [[Plaga Type 2|Type 2]] and [[Plaga Type 3|Type 3]] Plagas. They would infect the civilian population of [[Kijuju Autonomous Zone|Kijuju]] (a fictional country in West Africa) with Type 2 Plagas in order to gather field data on their effectiveness, and to slow down any [[BSAA]] agents who might interfere with their plans. Unlike regular Las Plagas, Type 2 is administered orally (i.e. it is forced into the host's mouth) in its matured state, as opposed to injecting a potential host with an egg. This enables the parasite to take control of the host's central nervous system within a matter of seconds, whereas the original Plagas required several hours to several days to incubate within the host and take over its body. Inhabitants of Kijuju infected with this parasite were called [[Majini|"Majini"]] (Swahili for "evil spirit"), and they would be encountered and fought by [[Chris Redfield]] and [[Sheva Alomar]] during their hunt for bioterrorist [[Ricardo Irving]]. Type 3 Plagas were created by injecting Type 1 Plagas with a gene from a Dominant Species Plaga, hoping that it would enhance the host's physical capabilities while still rendering them susceptible to control. The [[Ndipaya]], an indigenous tribe of the marshlands near Kijuju, were infected with Type 3 Plagas by Ricardo Irving, who told them that it was a vaccine against a (non-existent) disease.
+Plagas are a social creature, and hosts thereby also form a pack mentality.<ref>''Resident Evil 4'' (2005), file: "[[Luis' Memo 4]]".</ref> Though hosts may communicate via speech, Dr. Sera's studies indicated that the Plagas themselves communicate via ultra-high frequency sound waves; a special organ exists to pick up these vibrations, which can be interpreted as commands.<ref>''Resident Evil 4'' (2005), file: "[[Ada's Report 1]]".</ref> This system allows for the Dominant Plaga hosts to issue commands to Ganados. It has been observed that not all Plagas will act well to each other. Even after gaining control of the mountains, Los Iluminados saw fit to execute locals, using an abattoir near the village and the castle dungeons for executions.<ref>''Resident Evil 4'' (2005), file: "[[Village's Last Defense]]".</ref> Ganado mutants such as the Gigantes also acted violently towards other hosts. Despite being host to a Plaga parasite, Kennedy was also attacked during his mission, and received a warning by Fr. Mendez of suffering consequences for going against them regardless of being a host.
-During the [[Eastern Slav civil war]], a [[Plaga Type 4|synthetic Plaga species]] was engineered based on Type 2 and the dominant species by the government's researchers in order to emit a sound peculiar to the [[Licker]], bringing them under the control of those carrying the Plaga. During the same conflict, the new Plaga created a weakened type of Ganado who began infecting loyalist soldiers, secessionist rebels and civilians indiscriminately.
+=== Weaknesses and countermeasures ===
-==Characteristics==
+Los Iluminados recorded a number of manners in which the Plagas could be killed, including means which would not kill the host. Their research was for the ultimate goal of genetically-engineering a species which lacked these defects,<ref name=":2">''Resident Evil 4'' (2005), file: "[[Luis' Memo 5]]".</ref> though their finalised Recessive Plagas still have a number of weaknesses.
-Las Plagas are a species of parasite which alters its host's behavior by attaching itself to the central nervous system. The parasite is found between the lungs and beneath the heart, where it can tap into the host's spinal cord. Unlike other parasites, Las Plagas are a social organism, meaning that they live together in social harmony and communicate with each other, even if the hosts belong to separate species. [[Luis Sera]] postulates that they have a collective intelligence akin to a hivemind, possibly communicating via ultra high frequency sound waves. Even when unhatched, the Plagas demonstrate some physical symptoms in the host, like turning the eyes red briefly.<ref group="notes">When Mendez ambushes Leon in the hallway of his house, Leon's irises when struggling against Mendez's strangulation of him briefly turned red, which led to Mendez deducing that Leon "carried the same blood" as the Los Illumnados. This occurred before the eggs hatched.</ref>
+Plagas are extremely sensitive to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and thus avoid daylight. A radiation therapy procedure was developed by Dr. Sera's team, which would douse the patient in enough UV radiation to kill a Plaga without invasive surgery.<ref name=":2" /><ref name="Luis5">''Resident Evil 4'' (2005), file: "[[Luis' Memo 5]]"</ref> This procedure was used to treat Kennedy and Graham. In both cases, the Plaga killed was a hatchling, and it is believed the chances of survival are significantly lower for hosts of adult Plagas.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3">''Resident Evil 4'' (2005), file: "[[Letter From Ada]]".</ref> Relating to the UV treatment, Flashbangs were found to be effective as a means of killing Plagas that had emerged from their hosts at night.
-As a Plaga grows inside a host, the host can suffer from a number of symptoms, in addition to the influence of the [[parasite]] on the host's behavior. These include, but are likely not limited to: coughing up blood, blood flowing from the eyes, convulsions, sudden unconsciousness, hallucinations, swelling and discoloration of blood vessels, and discoloration of the iris – usually to a reddish color. The eyes of an infected person can be seen to glow in dark conditions.
+The growth of hatchlings can be halted through certain forms of medication, as discovered by Dr. Sera's team, and this medicine can also kill unhatched Plagas.<ref name=":3" /> Dr. Sera handed this medicine to Kennedy and Graham when they were too far away from the island laboratory to receive UV treatment.
-The parasites also have a high adaptability rate, as they can possess other organisms than humans. For example, Ramon Salazar uses [[Colmillos|Plaga-infected wolves]] as guard dogs in his castle. In addition to the Ganado, Saddler and his men also created several kinds of mutant creatures such as the [[El Gigante]], the [[Regenerador]]es/[[Iron Maiden]]s, [[Novistador]]es, [[Del Lago]], the [[U3|U-3]], and Salazar's bodyguards, the [[Verdugo]]s, as a result of genetic experimentation with the parasites and various other specimens.
+It is possible that Recessive Plagas can be killed through the destruction of the host's nervous system in a way that will keep the host alive but in a paraplegic state. This was performed on [[Alexander Kozachenko]] to prevent a Plaga taking over his body. However, this was a Dominant Plaga genetically-engineered years later by another group.
-All of the members of Los Iluminados, including [[Saddler]] himself, have Plaga parasites implanted into their bodies, although the ones used by him and his top underlings ([[Bitores Mendez]], [[Jack Krauser]], and [[Salazar]]) are superior to the regular Plaga, allowing their hosts complete independence. Additionally, certain feats by individuals infected with Dominant Species Plaga (for example, Mendez lifting Leon into the air with one hand and Krauser mutating his arm into a bladed wing) suggest that these particular Plagas can increase their hosts' physical capabilities.
+===Recessive Plaga life cycle===
-Regular Plagas have no true mutagenic effect on their hosts' body other than the distinctive red irises, although the parasites may expose themselves if sufficient trauma is inflicted on the host. However, this will only occur at nighttime or in other dark areas, since the Plaga is extremely sensitive to light (a flash grenade will kill a regular Plaga instantly). It is the fact that hosts of regular Plagas exhibit no outward sign of abnormality (beyond discolored irises) that make them such a dangerous threat, as they are much more subtle and invasive than Umbrella's myriad viruses. The Plaga [[parasite]] does not stop their hosts from feeling pain however, unlike the t-Virus [[zombie]]s, since the hosts have still retained their nervous system, although they do give their hosts better resilience against bullet wounds. Hosts of subordinate Plagas are also capable of carrying out day-to-day routines like ordinary people, despite their frequently bizarre, violent behavior and noticeable deterioration in hygiene.
+[[File:Resident Evil 4 - Las Plagas 1.jpg|thumb|right|Plaga A parasite replacing the head of its host]]
-Also of note, according to a note written by Saddler, the subject's mindset does seem to be important when choosing a host ("the Plaga reflects the conscience of the hosts") suggesting that a Plaga's control over the host can be resisted, even overcome entirely. This seems to be a reference to Sera, who was a host himself before managing to remove his Plaga. This might also explain the need to kill those who refused the Plaga, as they were obviously judged to be "incompatible". It also seems to be a literal description as well, at least in the case of the Dominant Species Plaga, as Krauser, who preferred close combat, developed a bladed arm to suit his needs. In extremely rare cases, the Dominant Species Plaga will also create a far larger body while the host itself is connected to a cocoon-like membrane. This is especially apparent with Ramon Salazar and Ricardo Irving's transformations (although the former was due to fusing with his remaining Verdugo guard and the Queen Plaga instead of using his own Plaga directly), and to a lesser extent Osmund Saddler's transformation.
-Another side effect viewed in those infested with Plaga is an apparent biological instability, as seen in that they disintegrate into a black or yellow goo when killed. This is common with nearly all Plaga infested individuals, including both Majini and Ganado. However, certain individuals, such as the first group of Ganado that Leon encountered in ''Resident Evil 4'' and minibosses, do not disintegrate when killed. The Plaga themselves, for the most part, also suffer the same fate upon death. However, there are some cases of the Plaga itself remaining intact after death.<ref group="notes">Albert Wesker managed to retrieve an intact version of the Dominant Species Plaga via recovering and autopsying Krauser's corpse, and supply it to TRICELL for mass-production.</ref>
-In the game, the Plaga of the Ganado, Cultists, and Combatants only appear where the head is. Once a Plaga is exposed, the enemy will no longer sprint towards the victim.
-The [[Majini]] located within Kijuju are infected with a different type of Plaga, created through extensive research. The Majini have been shown to develop strange mutations, such as tentacles within their mouths, as well as the ability to fully open their mouth/jaw to expose tendrils to attack others. It has also been shown that the Plaga within Kijuju appear to already be fully awakened, and enter via the mouth or throat, already hatched. They seem to grow inside the host of another Plaga, which will later transfer them to other possible hosts, eliminating the need to inject the egg. These Plaga also do not appear to be harmed by sunlight, as they appear within brightly lit areas. Some strains have also been shown to fly after leaving the host body. Despite these new modifications, they are still vulnerable to the bright flashes of flash grenades (i.e. UV light).
-===Plaga Species===
-'''Subordinate Species Plaga''' - These are the normal Plaga species. They have no individual form by nature and it is not certain what dicates their manifestations.
-'''[[Dominant Species Plaga]] -''' These are the complex types of Plaga which were genetically modified in order for the host to retain control. They have three distinct abilities which separate them from Subordinate Plaga - they allow the host to retain their free will, control other Plaga, and cause dramatic mutations in their host at will. They are opposite of the Subordinate Plaga, and allow the host to exert complete control over the parasite. The only known subjects to have ever been infected with this Plaga were Osmund Saddler, Bitores Mendez, Jack Krauser, Ramon Salazar, [[Ricardo Irving]], and [[Alexander Kozachenko]]. Notably, this type of Plaga can create extremely powerful individuals, while having almost no detrimental effect on the host's mental capacity; something Umbrella's top virologists failed to manufacture.
-===Plaga Life Cycle===
-[[File:Resident Evil 4 - Las Plagas 1.jpg|thumb|150px|Plaga A parasite replacing the head of its host]]
 Once it hatches inside a human host, the larval Plaga undergoes three primary stages of development.
-*[[Plaga A]]<ref name="Kai92">''Biohazard 4 Kaitaishinsho Katei Ban'', page 92</ref> - This is the first form of Plaga that Leon will encounter. Their bodies are pulsating masses of flesh and waving tentacles, with the longest tentacle armed with a scythe-like blade that can slash at the player from a decent range, and also while they are knocked on the ground. They are the weakest of the Plaga species and can be killed with minimal effort. Type A Plaga are commonly found in [[Villagers]] and [[Militia]], and also control the weaker [[Armadura]] suits.
+*"[[Plaga A]]",<ref name="Kai92">Hamamura'', Kaitaishinsho'', p.92.</ref> which are identified by their pulsating masses of flesh and waving tentacles, with the longest tentacle having a scythe-like blade. This blade can be used as a weapon to slash enemies if threatened. Plaga As have also been seen within the bodies of dogs, known as ''[[Colmillos]]''.
-[[File:Zealotplagas.png|thumb|right|150px|Plaga B, erupting from a zealot's head.]]
+[[File:Zealotplagas.png|thumb|right|Plaga B]]
+*"[[Plaga B]]",<ref name="Kai92" /> which appear more hand-like in appearance. The tentacles of the "A" have become stronger and can serve to grab hold of nearby enemies. Midway down the body is a large mouth, which can bite into prey the size of a human head.
-[[File:Plaga Infection.png|thumb|Plaga C]]
+[[File:Plaga Infection.png|thumb|right|Plaga C]]
-*[[Plaga B]] <ref name="Kai92" /> - These Plaga are the second form of Plaga that Leon will encounter infesting human hosts. They are often found inside the lower-ranking zealots, and are the second type which control Armaduras. This version of the Plaga can extend its entire body (being the Plaga itself) towards Leon and it will devour his head—an instant kill. The B-parasite is capable of no other attacks. It is at a high risk that you should ever get close to this Plaga due to its one-hit kill effect. While not advisable, it can be killed with a knife. Interestingly, this type of Plaga does not destroy the host's head or body when revealing itself. As with the type A Plagas, it can be killed using a flash grenade.
+*"[[Plaga C]]",<ref name="Kai92" /> which appear more spider-like in appearance, the arms having thinned out and become long legs. C Plagas can, if needed, force themselves entirely out of a host's body to escape.
-*[[Plaga C]] - These Plagas mostly inhabit the higher ranking zealots and militia. They are the most durable, can spit acid from some distance, and detach themselves from their host following death. They are roughly equal to the A-parasites in terms of threat while attached, and are relatively weak when detached. While detached, they have a leaping grapple which lacks an animation for attacking from the side or rear, much like the Colmillos, meaning they can only use it when directly in front of Leon. Curiously, several are encountered in the game without hosts at all, such as in the case of the battle with Salazar. When without a host, a C-parasite will eventually die, even if it has taken no damage from the player. As they can't climb ladders, simply moving outside their immediate area is an effective way to kill them.
-===Alternate Plaga Manifestations===
-*'''Leech-like Plaga''' - When multiple Plagas are inserted into human hosts, they cause the host to undergo drastic physical mutations and become more leech-like in appearance. They are capable of regenerating the host's body (Regeneradores).
-==Countermeasures==
-The Plaga are very vulnerable to bright light. They will only emerge from their hosts at night (except in [[The Mercenaries (RE4)|The Mercenaries]]), and can be instantly killed by throwing a [[Flash Grenade]] at them (except for Spider Plagas that are attached to a host; with these, a flash grenade will dislodge them from their host, while it takes a second to kill them).
-A weapon called the Plaga Removal Laser 412 ([[P.R.L. 412]]), which is unlockable after completion of the Professional difficulty, can instantly kill any enemy infected with Plaga. It is presumably a weaponized version of Luis's machine.
-The kind of radiation the Plagas are weak to seems to be UV light, since most lights used to destroy it are colored blue/purple, meaning that they emit enough UV light. Another possible explanation for their photosensitivity is that they may react to a certain level of Candela (meaning that the brighter something is, the stronger it is against the Plagas).
-== Known treatment ==
-Only a dormant Plaga can be treated, as type 2 and type 3 infect the host too fast. Therefore, making treatment with these type of Plaga impossible without killing the host.
-==== Suppressor ====
-If a person has become the host of the parasite, the parasite's growth can be suppressed by taking medication. These special pills are produced by Luis Sera, a researcher who betrayed Saddler.
-==== Radiation Treatment ====
-However, once the Plaga has hatched, then the only way to terminate the parasite without killing the host is for them to undergo a special kind of radiation treatment.<ref name="Luis5">''Re'<nowiki/>'''siden'''''<nowiki/>'''[[Category:Plaga]][[Category:Bio Organic Weapons]][[Category:Resident Evil 4 creatures]][[Category:Resident Evil 5 creatures]][[Category:Damnation creatures]]''t Evil 4'', [[Luis' Memo 5]]'''</ref> This extremely painful procedure has the possibility of impairing the host's consciousness, and may still kill the host if the Plaga has already matured into adulthood.
-Luis Sera also designed a machine which produced this kind of radiation after extensive research regarding how the Plagas might be removed. Ironically, he was tasked with finding a way to prevent any form of removal of the parasite by Saddler. Leon and Ashley, who had Plagas implanted into their bodies, used the machine to eliminate the Plagas, with both managing to survive the operation, as the Plagas had not reached their adult stage.
-==== Direct Damage ====
-Although killing a Plaga once it has bonded with a human's central nervous system is likely to result in the death of the carrier, it is possible to kill the Plaga once it has bonded with a human's spine without killing the host. However, it will result in the individual being permanently paralyzed from the waist-down for the rest of their life. This was especially notably seen in the Eastern Slav resistance member, [[Alexander Kozachenko|Buddy]].
-==Further notes==
-*All lower level Ganado are shown to have lost their need for personal hygiene, due to the observations Leon makes in the first few chapters of the game and various water sources throughout the game.
-*The B-Plaga is the only of its kind (human host Plaga) that can perform an instant death attack, by literally biting Leon's (or any other of the Mercenaries in the mini game) head off. This Plaga can also kill Ashley, having the same "head eating" animation, but would just hit her, making her fall lifeless in the floor.
-*In ''[[Resident Evil: Damnation]]'' the [[Plaga Type 4|new Plaga strain]] emits a sound which the [[Licker]] can hear; that allows it to be controlled by anyone who is infected with a Master Plaga sample.
-*The English localization of ''[[Resident Evil: Umbrella Corps]]'' inaccurately refers to the ordinary Plagas of Spain as "Dummy Plagas". They are referred to instead as "recessive" in the Japanese game.
-==See also==
-*[[Queen Plaga]]
-*[[Dominant Species Plaga]]
-*[[Plaga B]]
-*[[Plaga C]]
-*[[Plaga Type 2]]
-*[[Plaga Type 3]]
-*[[Plaga Type 4]]
-==Sources==
-;Notes
-{{reflist|group="notes"}}
-;References
-<references />
 ==Gallery==
@@ Line 123: / Line 68: @@
 Image26.jpg|First Plaga that appears in ''Resident Evil 4''
 armaduras.jpg|An armadura's exposed plaga
+A0736F7-633F-4863-9684-9555BE2628EA.png|Plaga in Clan Master.
+FE145B-B083-4B7F-B339-E518CF63CC38.png|Ditto.
 </gallery>
+==Further notes==
+*All lower level Ganado are shown to have lost their need for personal hygiene, due to the observations Leon makes in the first few chapters of the game and various water sources throughout the game.
+*The Plaga B is the only of its kind (human host Plaga) that can perform an instant death attack, by literally biting Leon's (or any other of the Mercenaries in the mini-game) head off. This Plaga can also kill Ashley, having the same "head eating" animation, but would just hit her, making her fall lifeless in the floor.
+*The English localisation of ''[[Resident Evil: Umbrella Corps]]'' inaccurately refers to the ordinary Plagas of Spain as "Dummy Plagas." They are referred to instead as "recessive" in the Japanese game.
+==Bibliogrpahy==
+*{{Cite book|title=[[biohazard4 kaitaishinsho revised edition]]|publisher= [[Famitsu]]|author=|authors=|editor=Hamamura, Koichi|page=|pages= |language=Japanese |isbn=978-4-7577-2638-3|year=2006}}
+==Sources==
+;Notes
+{{reflist|group="notes"}}
+;References
+<references />
 {{Mutagens}}
 {{Plaga}}
+{{Resident Evil 4 creatures}}
-{{CreaturebyGame}}
 [[de:Plaga]]
 [[es:Las Plagas]]
 [[fr:Plaga]]
 [[pt-br:Las Plagas]]
+[[Category:Plaga| ]]
 [[Category:Macroparasites]]
+[[Category:Bio Organic Weapons]]