Lycanthropy- Genetic Mutation or Viral Infection?

[DucksRMagical]

On more than one occasion, Fawkes, youknowwho, Godric, and I have discussed in depth the scientific aspects of lycanthropy. Just another bit of proof of our nerdieness, I guess.

Anyway, one of our discussions has centered on whether lycanthropy is a virus or a genetic mutation. When a person is attacked and bit by a werewolf, does a virus attack their body or do their genes somehow get mutated? Or is it a combination of both and it's a virus that mutates genes?

In the Harry Potter books, the evidence of how lycanthropy is transmitted is evidence for viral. The fact that it is passed through bites shows that it's transmitted through blood or saliva. There are many viruses in the Muggle world that are transmitted through bodily fluids such as blood and saliva. HIV, for example.

However, the fact that Remus was so worried about passing on his lycanthropy to his child is evidence towards genetic. I imagine that Healers have a way of finding out whether a person's genes are changed when bitten. After all, doctors have mapped the human genome and have ways of finding out whether a person has a certain genetic disease. Therefore, it would make sense that Healers could figure out if Remus had a 'lycanthropy' gene. Since his parents searched for cures for lycanthropy, I think it's a fair assumption that at some point, a Healer figured out whether it was genetic. Remus's worries would make more sense if lycanthropy was genetic than viral.

If lycanthropy was a virus, Remus would not have been able to pass it on to Teddy. Viruses in the Muggle world can be passed from mother to unborn child, but not from father to unborn child. Anything the father gives the child must be in his genetic makeup. A virus could be passed from father to mother during the act of making a child, and then passed from mother to unborn child. But, we know from the Harry Potter books that Remus did not give Tonks lycanthropy.

If it is indeed genetic, then it would make sense for it to be recessive. Therefore, Tonks's non-lycanthropy gene would overcome Remus's lycanthropy gene. However, Teddy would be a carrier for lycanthropy. That has made me wonder if he and Victoire (who an argument could be made for also carrying the lycanthropy gene since her father was bitten by an untransformed Greyback) could possibly have a child who is a werewolf.

Then there are viruses that affect DNA structure itself. If lycanthropy were such a virus, though, it would have to affect the reproductive cells. Cancer, for example, is a virus that affects DNA structure of certain cells. But, if a person with cancer reproduces, their child is not born with cancer.

What does everyone think?

[FawkesthePhoenix]

Well, if it was viral, surely a vaccine would be possible to create? If it was genetic, there would be oviously nothing you can do. Perhaps the wolfsbane potion is something along those lines.

[DucksRMagical]

There are plenty of viruses that there are no vaccines for. Cancer (with the exception of the HPV vaccine, and even that doesn't prevent all kinds of cervical cancer), HIV, and others that I can't think of at the moment.

[choki]

How about venom?
A kind of "poisonous substance" that is secreted by the werewolf in its werewolf mode (only) and only infects its bite victim. The poison gets circulated around the body and in molecular levels, the poison actually splice the DNA and adds its own protein sequence into the victim's DNA - creating a brand new genetic DNA which will cause the victim to turn into a werewolf during a full moon.

If it did not have to involve DNA, the poison (which is actually protein) infects every cell with an additional protein within its cellular structure. Like the theory of mitochondrion which was supposed to be a foreign cellular structure, it then became a power house for the werewolf during full moon, allowing them to transform.

And let's just say the reproductive system is not affected by the poison. LOL

[*Riley*]

Perhaps when the victim gets bitten, the Werewolf's poison/DNA structure would build up and flow through the person and contaminate their water supply. People are 60% water roughly so, the DNA molecules could infect the base of the water and then contaminate the core of it thus making the victim turn into a Werewolf on a Full Moon.
To further explain, does everyone know how the moon affects the tide? It pushes and pulls it, creating tide. Well, what if that were the same with Werewolves? The Full Moon may make the molecules stronger when mixed with the water, thus making the victim 'transform'.
I hope this is making sense, because it is to me, I just don't know how to explain it!

[salemboy]

Or maybe the venom, should it be venom, simply has specific hormones that trigger the mutation to werewolf during a certain time, maybe the moon's reflective rays do something to it, and then the lack of a full moon's reflective rays cause another hormone to cancel out the hormone the caused the transformation in the first place. It seems possible to me, as hormones also regulate other functions, such as metabolism.


Then again, another question is raised in my mind. We know very well that much of what is in Harry Potter is magic and cannot, nor will it ever be, explained by science. How do we know that Lycanthropy simply isn't one of those many magical properties that cannot and will not be explained by science.

Honestly, I don't know if J.K. Rowling herself could explain it, as it is obvious that the idea of a Werewolf has been used many times before.

[choki]

Scientific explanation probably won't work in mythical creatures. LOL, hence we only have hypothesis of what is going on with the werewolf transformation. Each and everyone of us has different views of how werewolf comes about... LOL, how about the first werewolf? We all know, that the first vampire that started the whole story was Vlad the Impaler or Count Dracula but how did the first werewolf came about? Now, that could be another separate topic to discuss about

Back to the original topic,

Well, if it was viral, surely a vaccine would be possible to create? If it was genetic, there would be obviously nothing you can do. Perhaps the wolfsbane potion is something along those lines.

vaccine are usually inactivated/dead virus or product derived from them unless we are able to catch a whole bunch of werewolves and after perhaps 30 yrs of study, who knows, a wonder "vaccine" may appear. Kinda like X-men 3: The Last Stand where the vaccine/cure for mutation is discovered and administered to reverse the mutation.
but again 'usually' the vaccine needs to be taken before the actual virus infects the person. So are we going to vaccinate everyone?

[DucksRMagical]

I like that theory, choki. Venom changing the DNA would make sense.

Obviously, this is fictional and magical and cannot really be explained by science, but it's certainly fun to discuss it.

The first werewolf was actually created the same time the first vampire was. Three men (who I cannot for the life of me remember the names of. I'll try and look it up after work, but I don't really have time now) went on a camping trip and during that trip came up with the werewolf, the vampire, and I believe the zombie. My English teacher from last year told us about it. I'll try and look up the details later.

[FawkesthePhoenix]

maybe the moon's reflective rays do something to it

That brings up the question of whether it is really the full moon that causes the transformation. It could simply be that they transform the same time that they were bitten.

Scientific explanation probably won't work in mythical creatures.

But why shouldn't it? When scientists first saw a patypus, they insisted it was a stiched-together fake. If it can't be explained with science, then I don't think it's that it doesn't fit into science, science doesn't fit around it. People used to believe in spontaneous generation, until science was expanded to give it a logical explanation. Logic is all about rules. If something cannot be explained by the rules, and this is a definitely fact, then the rules, logically, must be incorrect. This would, of course, be assuming that werewolves actually did exist.

If lycanthropy is genetic, then I believe it would be recessive, otherwise there would be much more werewolves. Of course, this may be because werewolves are misunderstood and generally shunned, therefore they would not be having very many children. After all, having six fingers is a dominant gene, but that doesn't mean everyone has six fingers. And if lycanthropy alters your DNA, and gives you a werewolf gene, then it must be dominant in order to overcome your human gene. It could also be incomplete dominance, which might explain why werewolves aren't wolves all the time.

[choki]

well, the idea of scientific explanation won't work on mythical creatures are basically saying science can't explain everything in the wide world.

and that is what the scientists are saying generally... everything needs to be explained by science and if it doesn't fit... it doesn't exist, until we find hard evidence of the existance of such beings. So platypus came into the threw the theory that mammals don't lay eggs

Science is just a result of trial and error hypothesis which became theory

If lycanthropy is genetic, then I believe it would be recessive, otherwise there would be much more werewolves. Of course, this may be because werewolves are misunderstood and generally shunned, therefore they would not be having very many children. After all, having six fingers is a dominant gene, but that doesn't mean everyone has six fingers. And if lycanthropy alters your DNA, and gives you a werewolf gene, then it must be dominant in order to overcome your human gene. It could also be incomplete dominance, which might explain why werewolves aren't wolves all the time.

Ahhh the genes dominance... there is so much possibility how the DNA works
but I always thought that to become a werewolf, one has to be bitten by one and survived the attack (seeing how usually werewolf will finish their prey, leaving a very low chance of survival, hence the reason why there aren't a lot of werewolves?)

the idea of Lupin being so afraid to start a family is most probably he is scared of that his family would suffer the same prejudice he had as a werewolf. he didn't want Tonks or any of their future child to suffer indignity in work or school.

[DucksRMagical]

Yes, but he was also worried about his child somehow inheriting lycanthropy as well.

I found more information about the vampire and werewolf thing my teacher told me. They weren't created by two people during a camping trip. Two people created stories about them during a camping trip, and a third created Frankenstein.

From Wikipedia-

"The image of a vampire portrayed as an aristocratic man, like the character of Dracula, was created by John Polidori in "The Vampyre" (1819), during the summer spent with Frankenstein creator Mary Shelley and other friends in 1816."