List of fictional diseases
s, disorders, infections, and pathogens have appeared in fiction as part of a major plot or thematic importance.
In multiple media
In particular media
| Name | Source | Description | Ref. |
| The Black Breath | J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth | An affliction contracted by "excessive proximity" to a Nazgûl, seems to be a "spiritual malady" combined with "fear, confusion, reduced levels of consciousness, hypothermia, weakness and death". | |
| Corrupted blood | World of Warcraft | Initially contracted from fighting Hakkar, the god of blood, in the dungeon of Zul'Gurub. Highly infectious, with an incubation period of two seconds and can infect any person in the immediate area. | |
| Las plagas | Resident Evil series | A parasitic organism which can infect a variety of hosts, including humans. It has the ability to control its host's behavior, inducing a hive-like mentality among the infected and extreme hostility towards uninfected individuals. The infected retain most of the characteristics of humans such as fine motor skills as seen through their use of simple weapons such as scythes and axes, and more complicated weapons such as chainsaws and chainguns. They are seen to obey queen parasites, much like ants. | |
| Legacy Virus | Marvel Comics | A disease that targets only mutants, causing genetic and biological degradation and eventual death; shortly before death, the virus' effects cause a violent, uncontrolled flare-up of the victim's superhuman abilities. | |
| The phage | Star Trek: Voyager | A necrotizing plague that affects members of the Vidiian species. Organ transplants are required for survival. | |
| The Red Death | "The Masque of the Red Death" by Edgar Allan Poe | A disease resembling an epidemic plague. Represents death's inevitability, even to the rich who try to avoid it. | |
| Techno-organic virus | Marvel Comics | A virus that transforms living tissue into techno-organic material, which resembles both machinery and living tissue. |