Ibrenization
The native ecosystem of Ibren features widespread lichen- and fungus-like species as a result of the invasive asteroid mantis landing there millions of years prior. The dense clouds of spores riding the high winds created where the tropics and polar regions overlap (Ibren has a nearly 60 degree axial tilt) are initially unhealthful for the colonists of the ESCI Dewhollow and ESCI Revelation, but the citizens of the Cobalt Protectorate are nothing if not resourceful when it comes to surviving in extreme environments.
Over time, the dangers inherent to living within the Ibrenian ecology inspire the colonists to use a combination of cybernetics and, later, genetic engineering to engage in pantropy. These new colonists - henceforth known as Ibrenians - become partial autotrophs in their own right, acquiring the ability to photosynthesize and metabolize some amino acids of the opposite chirality. For this unique people, what was once a cumulative and potentially lethal allergen in the form of airborne fungal spores becomes almost a free snack. The process of gaining these unique traits is known as Ibrenization.
Transmission & Vectors
Ibrenization is initially an elective procedure undertaken by surface- and subsurface-dwelling colonists; those who choose to remain aboard the Revelation generally do not partake unless and until they decide to join their fellows on the surface. Ibrenization is much like cryoprotectant therapy in that it is a lengthy, potentially uncomfortable process that is generally considered irreversible, but it also has the additional issue of permanently changing one's appearance and the composition of one's dander in ways that might engender some degree of exclusion from the presence of the unmodified. Eventually, the proceedure is mastered and is implemented as a germ-line genetic modification, in the manner of the Lepidosian gene drive, after which the congenitally Ibrenized people - now true Ibrenians - breed true amongst themselves.
Symptoms
Ibrenization manifests outwardly as a change in the coloration of the hair, irises, and skin of the patient. The inclusion of blue-green chloroplasts, along with cellulose-like fibrils beneath the skin, render the flesh pale and more resilient to injury. Melanin becomes more concentrated, but more localized, on exposure to sunlight; an Ibrenian does not so much 'tan' as begin to 'show his or her stripes', with striation locations being determined by whether or not a given group of skin cells has certain genes activated or not. During the period in which the changes become congenital, frond-like 'lichen shelf' inclusions begin to erupt along the dorsal surfaces of the body and wherever hair grows in perfusion.
Treatment
In rare cases, the dander produced by true Ibrenians can carry enough of the Ibrenization gene drive that it can cause those who inhale or ingest it over a long period of time to themselves become Ibrenized, Vaccines against the drive and treatment with anti-fungal medications can can significantly reduce the risk of both transmission and progression.
Type
Fungal
Origin
Engineered
Cycle
Chronic, Acquired & Congenital
Rarity
Uncommon
Affected Species
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