supervirus
Extremely potent pathogen
A supervirus is a hypothetical or fictional pathogen of extreme virulence and lethality, often featured in disaster scenarios and thrillers: The lab-engineered supervirus spread across continents within weeks.
The term also applies to exceptionally destructive computer malware.
In either context, supervirus suggests something beyond normal containment—a worst-case threat requiring extraordinary response.
Sudden eruption of trouble
- epidemicWidespread disease occurrence
- contagionDisease spread by contact
- spreadTo distribute widely
- transmissionSending of information
global · quarantine · lockdown · isolation · infection · public health · health emergency · vaccination
Able to cause expiration
- fatalCausing death or ruin
- mortalityState of eventual death
- fatalityDeath from accident
- killerOne who causes death
virulence · destructive · terminal · hemorrhagic · necrotic · death toll · case fatality rate · mass casualty
Extremely infectious or hostile
- mutationPermanent DNA alteration
- replicationAct of duplicating precisely
- hostOne receiving guests
- zoonosisAnimal-to-human disease transmission
pathogenicity · retrovirus · microorganism · antigen · epitope · immunodeficiency · genome · strain
Unaffected by medication
- adaptationFitting to new conditions
- mutant strainGenetically altered organism type
- refractoryResistant to heat/control
- multidrug-resistantUnaffected by multiple treatments
outbreak
Sudden eruption of trouble
transmission · global · quarantine · lockdown · isolation · infection · public health · health emergency · vaccination · immunity
deadly
Able to cause expiration
killer · virulence · destructive · terminal · hemorrhagic · necrotic · death toll · case fatality rate · mass casualty
virulent
Extremely infectious or hostile
- mutationPermanent DNA alteration
- replicationAct of duplicating precisely
- hostOne receiving guests
zoonosis · pathogenicity · retrovirus · microorganism · antigen · epitope · immunodeficiency · genome · strain · vector
drug-resistant
Unaffected by medication
- adaptationFitting to new conditions
- mutant strainGenetically altered organism type
- refractoryResistant to heat/control