Lymphocytic encephalitis is an actual disease caused by the Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus. Encephalitis is the acute inflammation of the brain. Brain damage and death can occur as a result of the inflammation. As Doc Cottle stated in the episode, it is usually carried and transmitted by rodents. Unlike the Colonial survivors, humans on Earth are not immune, although infection does not result in symptoms in most healthy adults. It can, however, be deadly for persons with compromised immune systems.
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