Las Plagas

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Las Plagas ("The Plagues" in Spanish), or simply the Plagas or Plaga, are a fictional species of highly evolved parasitic organisms and the primary plot device of Resident Evil 4, a 2005 video game in Capcom's Resident Evil series of survival horror games.^[1] Unlike the T-Virus in previous Resident Evil games, which turns its victims into mindless zombies, the hosts of the Plagas parasites retain their intelligence and are capable of following complex instructions and working collectively to pursue their target. Enemies of Resident Evil 4 are as relentless as the past games' virus-infected zombies.

Contents 1 Fictional history 2 In-game characteristics 3 Notable Las Plagas hosts 4 Las Plagas variants 5 Weakness and countermeasures 6 Real-world examples 7 References

[edit] Fictional history

According to various reports acquired by the player during the course of Resident Evil 4, the Plagas parasites were first discovered by a religious cult in Europe known as "Los Illuminados" in a nondescript region of Spain. The cult used the Plagas parasites as a means of recruiting new members. The first castellan of the Salazar family opposed the cult and sealed off access to the parasites under his castle, hidden away from the world for centuries.

Prior to the beginning of the events in the game, Osmund Saddler, the main antagonist and the current leader of the cult, took advantage of Ramòn Salazar's (the eighth Salazar castellan) deep faith in the Los Illuminados religion. Salazar was enticed into joining the cult and opening the seal to the tunnels that contained the Plagas parasites. The Plagas parasites were fossilized due to many years of concealment. However, they were still alive in the form of microscopic spores.^[2] The local villagers who were tasked with mining out the Plagas fossils inhaled these spores, which manifested themselves into full-fledged Plagas parasites within their bodies. Members of Los Illuminados were inoculated with Plagas eggs cultivated from spores. These victims would become known collectively as Los Ganados in the game.

A creature similar to Plagas was shown in a recently released Resident Evil 5 trailer. [1]

[edit] In-game characteristics

Explanations of Plagas characteristics are given to the player by reports and letters found throughout Resident Evil 4. According to these documents, the Plagas is a type of endoparasite that alters its host's behavior by attaching itself directly to the central nervous system. Luis Sera postulates that they have a collective intelligence. Las Plagas are social organisms, and communicate with each other for survival. In the game, Ganados frequently shout orders to one another, and pursue the player relentlessly.

The parasites also have a high adaptability rate, as they can parasitize other organisms besides humans. In the game, the players encounter parasitized dogs (colmillos), along with human-sized insect-like creatures (novistadores) regularly. Most variants of Las Plagas die only when their host dies.

Though the Plagas control their hosts' actions, this doesn't mean they cannot experience pain. A critical point is proven to be at its head once revealed from the host, in which a successful hit causes it to reel back in pain before resuming its hunt. This implies that Plaga-infested hosts gain more resistance from gunfire than a normal person. It is also noted that a Plaga-revealed Ganado, Zealot, or Mitilia does not run towards its target and walks slowly towards him or her before attacking.

[edit] Notable Las Plagas hosts

Over the course of Resident Evil 4's story, Leon S. Kennedy and Ashley Graham displayed symptoms of parasitization, such as coughing up blood, convulsions, sudden unconsciousness, hallucinations and nightmares, and blood vessels swelling and becoming visible throughout the skin. These two characters were inoculated with the Plagas eggs at an earlier point; Ashley was already inoculated by the time the game's story began. The Ganados display advanced symptoms, such as pallid skin and bloodshot eyes that are luminescent at night.

The Merchant is also a host to Las Plagas. He displays some of the symptoms of infestation, most notably the bloodshot eyes. Researcher Luis Sera was also once host to the Plagas.

All of the major antagonists from Resident Evil 4 are hosts to the Plagas parasites. This includes Lord Osmund Saddler, Ramòn Salazar, and the village chief Bitores Mendez.

[edit] Las Plagas variants

There are four Plagas variants encountered throughout Resident Evil 4.

• The most commonly encountered variant resembles a writhing mass of tentacles. It has a long tentacle with a sickle-like blade at the end. This appendage is used as a means of attack. This variant is mostly found within the Villager and Militia Ganados.
• A variant that parasitizes Zealots and Armaduras (attacking suits of armor) resembles a centipede. It is the only variant in the game that has an instant-kill attack, decapitating Leon if he is too close.
• Another variant is found in Zealot and Militia Ganados. These resemble Facehuggers of Alien movie fame. Their means of attack involves spewing acid from a distance. Their most notable characteristic is that they can move outside of their host. This Plaga variant can leave the dying body of their host and attack the player directly. They can even be found on their own during a boss fight sequence in the game.
• The final variant is found only in humanoid creatures called Regenerators. These leech-like Plagas rapidly regenerate any lost body part on its host creature.^[3] Regenerators die only when all of their Plagas are destroyed. This variant can only be detected by thermal imaging.

[edit] Weakness and countermeasures

During the events of the game, the player learns of countermeasures to Plaga infestation. The only aspect that the player has any true interaction with is the Plagas' weakness against Flash Grenades. The intense light produced by these grenades instantly destroys all Plagas in the immediate area of the explosion.

During the egg stage, medication is administered to neutralize them. Players encounter Luis Sera on a regular basis during the first half of the game, learning that he smuggled out Plagas vaccine and an item referred to as the "sample". Unfortunately for Leon and Ashley, Sera lost the vaccine before he encountered them.

Once the Plaga has hatched, specialized medication can be used to suppress the growth of the parasite, delay it from assuming control of its host, and increase the host's chance of surviving the removal process. In one cinematic sequence, Leon meets Ada in one of many occasions. During this encounter, Leon began to convulse and began to attack Ada. Leon's eyes are shown bloodshot, suggesting the Plagas is beginning to gain control over Leon. Ada was forced to stab Leon with a knife in order to snap him out of his trance-like state. Leon later took several pills given to him by Sera to suppress the Plagas.

Only a painful radiation treatment can eradicate the parasite from the host's body. Success of removal decreases as the Plagas matures; attempting to remove an adult Plaga could kill the host. In the later parts of the game, the player learns that Luis Sera built a machine that administers radiation to kill the Plagas parasite. Both Leon and Ashley use this device to eradicate their Plagas permanently.

[edit] Real-world examples

A memo written by Luis Sera gives three real-world examples of parasites that can control their host's behaviors. These three examples are all flukes that can influence their host's behavior: Dicrocoelium dendriticum, Galactosomum and Leucochloridium.

A notable real-world parasite that controls its host, not mentioned in the game, is the hairworm Spinochordodes tellinii, which is a parasite of grasshoppers and crickets. These parasites causing their hosts to seek out and jump into water, drowning themselves. The worms then emerge from their hosts to live in the water.

[edit] References

1. ^ Dan Birlew, "LAS PLAGAS," Resident Evil 4: Bradygames Signature Series Guide (Indianapolis: Pearson Education, 2006), 13.
2. '^ Luis Memo 2, page 5 of 8: "...[Las Plagas] were able to survive the long years by lying in a dormant state at the cellular level remaining in a spore-like form." Capcom. Resident Evil 4. Capcom. GameCube. (in English).
3. '^ Luis Memo 3, page 3 of 7: "Regenerators have a superior metabolism that allows them to regerate their lost body parts at an incredible speeds (sic)." Capcom. Resident Evil 4. Capcom. GameCube. (in English).