Item #: SCP-740
Object Class: Euclid
Special Containment Procedures: SCP-740 samples are to be contained in a sealed, air-tight container in Lab ██ unless being used for testing purposes.
Containment for testing purposes should be in an airtight room. One human host is to be present in the room at this time, of Class D status, as a food-source and host. Class D Personnel are the only recommended people to be admitted into the room at any time, under orders of Dr. █████, in order to feed above host depending on duration of experimentation. They are to be scanned upon entry before admittance and upon attempted exit are to be secured in the airlock while the area is sanitized, followed by a scan for infection. If infection is present, immediate incineration is to be conducted.
Two level-2 guards armed with flamethrowers and wearing full hazmat suits are to guard the door, rotating every eight (8) hours during testing. If anyone attempts to leave the room after infection has been detected within their system, they are to be immediately terminated via incineration.
In the event of a containment breach, the area is to be locked down, all air-filtering devices to be shut down and the building purged to cleanse surfaces of possible released spores.
Description: SCP-740 is an airborne, spore-based infection which results in three stages of symptoms before the expulsion of the ‘mature’ specimen from the host. Full hazmat suits recommended when handling.
The first stage of infection, subjects have been recorded exhibiting and experiencing an increase in appetite, flu-like symptoms such as fever, sweating, body pain in many regions and, in some cases, internal bleeding.
The second stage results in complaints of nausea, weakness, lethargy and general reluctance to move. These symptoms correspond to those experienced during blood loss. At this stage, the symptoms from stage one have reduced, however experiences of body pain appear to be increased.
At stage three, the subject will have been exposed to the infection for at least two weeks and small, hard growths will have begun to appear on an external level. These growths are relatively small, approximately 2.54cm in diameter, and are the result of the infection at last reaching its ‘mature’ stage. The growths will attempt to leave the host body by burrowing out through the flesh. Independent of the host, they walk on eight spindly legs which resemble that of a spider and will attempt to gorge themselves on blood and flesh from the nearest source through a small mouth at the front of its body. Initial hosts died after the expulsion of exsanguination within 20 minutes. These ‘tumor-spiders’ are hereby to be referred to as SCP-740-1.
Once full, SCP-740-1 will be seen shuddering violently before exploding like a balloon, splattering blood and its remains where it once was and releasing more infectious spores into the air in the hopes of creating a new host. Being bitten by SCP-740-1 does not seem to spread the infection but the bursting process can occur at any time post-feeding.
SCP-740-1 appear to be completely mindless apart from their feeding and ‘reproductive’ instincts. Testing done on samples taken from a ‘mature’ specimen have revealed the composition to consist of cells and bone-like structures similar to that of the infected host.
Addendum 1: Level-2 Personnel and above are to see Document 740-01
Addendum 2: Possibilities of a cure are ongoing, however all attempts of clearing SCP-740 from a living body to date have resulted in [DATA EXPUNGED] and further eruptions of spores into the air. Using living SCP-740-1 and denying them a blood supply has proven to cause them to shrivel into a dehydrated mass after 7 days, allowing further testing and analysis. However, a further 24 hours sees the sample dry out too much for use. Attempted introduction of blood hydration in a shriveled sample resulted in reawakening of the specimen, which [DATA EXPUNGED], being destroyed by incineration shortly afterwards.
Document #740-01: Incineration is to be the only method of disposal of the spores, hosts, and any manner of SCP-740-1. Attempts to neutralize hosts using other firearms, such as guns, will effectively kill the host but not any of the SCP-740-1 specimens. They will attempt to gorge themselves on what they can of living material in the body before attempting to forcibly escape, no matter the stage of their growth. This resulted in many half-formed SCP-740-1 which were described as [DATA EXPUNGED].
Please note, stepping on any of the specimens will release spores into the air. Use the flamethrowers provided.