Qualite

Item #: SCP-XXXX

Object Class: Safe

Special Containment Procedures: Physical containment is theoretically impossible. Knowledge of SCP-XXXX is to be relegated only on a need-to-know research basis, as Foundation personnel reach a greater understanding of the exact nature of the anomaly. Public knowledge of SCP-XXXX is to be avoided completely if possible. In the case of an information leak, the use of Class-A amnestics is approved.

Description: SCP-XXXX is what appears to be a microscopic parasitic organism. It was first discovered by neuroscience researchers at Harvard University in October 2010. Foundation personnel were quickly alerted after some of its more anomalous characteristics came to light. Since initial discovery, all public knowledge of SCP-XXXX has been categorically suppressed.

SCP-XXXX has no visible DNA or cellular structure, and its origins have yet to be discovered. It is unknown whether it has any relation to the species of Earth, and research and testing are severely limited by its size. The organism is by far the smallest ever recorded, (with the possible exception of some viruses) with a diameter of just under 100 nanometers. Because of its size, it is only visible using the most powerful of electron microscopes. It is without exception located on the █████████ region of the brain.

The organism itself resembles a single black cell-like structure. Periodically, long tentacle-like limbs will emerge from the main body, stretching out to various parts of the host's brain, seemingly passing straight through solid brain matter unimpeded. The limbs themselves can reach up to 10cm, with a hypothetical diameter similar to that of the main body itself. They are visible simply because of the glow they seem to emit under microscopic observation. It has proven impossible thus far to discover what SCP-XXXX is composed of; because of its size and because of its extreme fragility, removal without termination has proved impossible.

SCP-XXXX has only been observed to affect humans. Infected individuals have no symptoms, behavioural or physiological. Testing showed that the activity of the parasite’s limbs is closely associated with the brain activity of its host. For example, when a host is engaging in any sort of written or spoken communication, the limbs of SCP-XXXX with invariably be interacting in some way with Broca’s area, the language centre of the brain. Because of the miniscule size of the parasite itself, and because of limited medical knowledge of the brain itself, the exact nature of interaction is poorly understood.

It is currently unknown how SCP-XXXX reproduces, although it is known that all hosts will give birth to infected offspring.

Due to limited abilities to test, and the seemingly abiological nature of SCP-XXXX, it is unknown to what degree the anomaly is acting in the traditional sense that an animal might, or is reacting to brain patterns themselves. Photos taken of the brain at 1,000,000 frames per second have suggested that SCP-XXXX may be interacting with affected regions before the brain activity itself begins, though just as often the reverse appears to be true.

Test A - October 14th, 2010

Subject: 27-year-old male infected with SCP-XXXX

Procedure: Surgical removal of affected brain stem tissue

Results: Subject comatose for six hours after procedure. Upon awakening, subject displays signs of distress. Flailing its limbs and shrieking in a manner similar to other species of great apes was observed for several hours. Sedatives administered. Subject expired shortly after, due to the traumatic nature of the surgery.

Analysis: Despite several days of recovery time, subject appears to have lost all higher brain function after removal of SCP-XXXX. Specific instance of SCP-XXXX was lost after surgery.

Addendum: So far, it has not proven possible to preserve a living instance of SCP-XXXX for study outside of a human host. A blood test based on an unidentified substance in hosts’ bloodstream is being developed currently by Foundation personnel, with limited success. Due to the expensive and time consuming nature of testing for SCP-XXXX, discovery of new hosts has proven difficult, though every human tested thus far has been infected, bringing the number of known hosts to ███.