Intergalactic disease among humans

[RyanW]

Originally Posted by zylosan

A big factor in the development of disease is the presence and varity of domestic and wild animals. Some of our nastest disease come from the animals we keep. New planet, new eco system = lots of opp for death

It's very likely that a new ecosystem would not present many dangerous contagions. The classic line is that Spock's mom would have had a better chance of conceiving with a horseshoe crab, and the same likely goes for alien viruses. A transplanted ecosystem would be a much bigger hazard.

Bacteria-like infections might be a different issue, as they may function very well on water and sugars, rather than DNA. Likewise toxic chemicals.

Edit: Of course, such an ecosystem is unlikely to support a human population, as well. If the aliens don't use very similar amino acid structures as humans, they aren't food.

[vierasmarius]

Originally Posted by RyanW

It's very likely that a new ecosystem would not present many dangerous contagions. The classic line is that Spock's mom would have had a better chance of conceiving with a horseshoe crab, and the same likely goes for alien viruses. A transplanted ecosystem would be a much bigger hazard.

Bacteria-like infections might be a different issue, as they may function very well on water and sugars, rather than DNA. Likewise toxic chemicals.

Edit: Of course, such an ecosystem is unlikely to support a human population, as well. If the aliens don't use very similar amino acid structures as humans, they aren't food.

The OP was referencing the Stargate universe, and asking about Human populations that settle on other planets, then go thousands of years before contact with the rest of the species. You're right about completely alien organisms / ecosystems, though.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by vierasmarius

The OP was referencing the Stargate universe, and asking about Human populations that settle on other planets, then go thousands of years before contact with the rest of the species. You're right about completely alien organisms / ecosystems, though.

Actually, if it's humans in an alien ecosystem, they'll still have changes in disease development, due to the lack of viable animal reservoirs.

[Tyneras]

Well, aren't most of the humans in the SG universe in small tribes or tiny, primitive cities? Seems like this would be a repeat of Europe's exploration of North America, only it would be Earth as a whole spreading various diseases all over these new worlds.

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by Tyneras

Well, aren't most of the humans in the SG universe in small tribes or tiny, primitive cities? .

Yes, but they also normally are exposed to gate travellers. Especally true in Pegasus. SG-1 found a few civilizations that had lost contact with gate travel.

There's hyperspace travel too so the "isolation" component is imperfect. It's more like Earth has been the isolated one.

It might even be possible that the Stargate has a "bio-filter" like Trek transporters with the few cases we've seen of disease being isolated failures of the system.

[Kale]

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

It might even be possible that the Stargate has a "bio-filter" like Trek transporters with the few cases we've seen of disease being isolated failures of the system.

It would make sense for the gate builders to do this, and be a convenient handwave for the show to explain why the Black Death or its equivalent hasn't killed everyone. @:-)

[Dangerious P. Cats]

Stargate has a tendancy to devote the odd episode to issues that would happen every time they contacted a new planet, like translation issues or new diseases. As incongruous as this might be it does mean that the sereis isn't more repetative than already is.

I guess the next question is how well could medicine deal with the spontanious influx of new disease from TLs 8 upwards?

[teviet]

Originally Posted by RyanW

Edit: Of course, such an ecosystem is unlikely to support a human population, as well. If the aliens don't use very similar amino acid structures as humans, they aren't food.

I'd always assumed that the Ancients terraformed most of the planets where we find human populations (even if the humans themselves were shipped in hundreds of thousands of years later). Otherwise the chances of finding a compatible ecosystem would be negligible.

TeV