Regarding the need for
blood, I must say, a vampire's bone marrow is very different from
that of a humans. During the change from a human to a Created
vampire, the cells in which cause the change (which I will speak
more on later) collect in the kidneys during the body's attempt to
flush them out of its system. When this happens, a reaction of some
sort terminates all production of erythropoietin, a hormone that
regulates production of red blood cells in the bone marrow. Without
erythropoietin, the body will produce no red blood cells. As you
can see, this is not a desirable predicament to be in, for without
red blood cells, one's body will suffer from anemia to oxygen
deprivation to shock, and then finally die. Other factors also
contribute to the lack of red blood cells.
A Created vampire in many cases doesn't eat food often enough, if
they can even eat at all. To support it's body's metabolism and in
an attempt to make up for this, the body will increase the number
of red blood cells it destroys and use their material to feed the
body. Also to make matters worse, the production of white blood
cells in the bone marrow is increased, diverting much of the energy
from red blood cell production. So one must seek other sources.
Human blood is a the main source of red blood cells and
erythropoietin, though pigs and a few various other animals would
suffice. A Created vampire would often ingest blood after
abstaining from food for a day or more, and when after ingested,
the hormone erythropoietin would serve to restimulate red blood
cell production.
Fortunately for Created vampires, chemical changes in their body
allows for their metabolism to be slowed and altered to accommodate
for the small amount of nutrients in the system. Where areas up to
80% of energy created in a human is lost as body heat, a vampire
only loses about 60%. However the fact that many have increased
activity in their lives, the production of heat is generally evened
out. This accounts for the reason why the Created vampires have
temperatures that are lower or higher than 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit
and why they are so fond of warmth and cold. Another change that
helps them is the alteration of the perspiration system. The
kidneys themselves are inable to remove excess fluids as quick as
required, and being that a vampires diet is usually fluidic,
overaccumulation is not desirable. Without a way to release it, the
body would become swollen, so the perspiration system is altered so
that it can absorb fluid through a process of osmosis from the
blood system and release it through the sweat glands.
The following is a brief explanation of how a human is changed into
a Created vampire. To be changed, all one needs to do is receive
vampire blood into their circulatory system, either by undergoing a
transfusion like process, or by drinking vampire blood.
The more blood you receive, the quicker the change and often
drinking the blood is a much slower process. Total body transfusion
will guarantee a complete change within weeks while an injection of
8 ounces may take anywhere 4 years to the rest of their lives to
complete the change. Chances of never eating food like a human
again if one drank a Created vampire's blood is 65% while loss of
one's ability to digest if they had undergone a transfusion only
results 3% of the time. Little cells of a virus like nature (simply
called WVCs, white vampire cells), comprised almost entirely of
vampire RNA, are within the vampire blood and when within the
humans circulatory system, they fool the white blood cells into
absorbing them where they integrate their RNA. As we've covered
before, when the WVCs collect in the kidneys, the reaction that
results is the shutdown in the production of erythropoietin, which
controls the production of red blood cells within the bone marrow.
Within the white blood cells, the WVCs that survive substitute the
vampire RNA for the white blood cells RNA, and create more vampire
RNA. This manufacturing of vampire RNA allows the WVCs to
distribute it amongst all the cells within the body. Throughout a
vampires whole life, the WVCs are constantly increasing in numbers
and introducing its RNA to other body cells.
Unlike human's DNA, a vampire's DNA does not suffer from genetic
decay, therefore aging doesn't result naturally. A result of this,
as perhaps guessed, is that Created Vampires are capable of living
far longer than humans. If they survive the first five years, which
only 80% do, more than half of those who survive can potentially
live close to 200. As stated before though, vampire DNA is broken
down when it comes into contact with UV radiation, or light, and
this can cause the aging of a Created vampire.
Some of the abilities of WVCs is that they are highly intolerant of
infections and disease, and they can act like white blood cells
when it comes to the defense of the body. One problem that arises
occasionally from this high sensitivity is allergies. The body
becomes highly sensitive to all foreign objects and little things
like pollen and even food can trigger irritating and unneeded
reactions such as red eyes, rashes, hives, breathing difficulty,
and severe stomach pain (another reason why some Created vampires
stop eating). Another purpose the WVCs can serve is the
regeneration of the body, also known as quickened healing. This is
achieved when the WVCs, aware of a collection of platelets at a
wound opening, trigger the DNA within the cells surrounding the
wound to revert back into a stage where cell division is unchecked
and continuous.
Partial vampires are Created vampires who received a small dosage
of WVCs. All throughout their lives they produce more and more WVCs
yet for many, they never fully become a true Created. As much
vampire as they are, most only receive slightly increased strength
and partially enhanced senses. A touch of psychic ability may
surface as well, and better health and longer living have been
attributed to such. Many Partial vampires however are the result of
accidents. A person who was feed upon may have managed to cut and
mingle some of the vampires blood within their wounds, and there is
much evidence that sexual fluids contain enough WVCs within them
that they could change a person enough to be considered a Partial.
Saliva however is still under speculation as to whether it could
serve as a carrier.
