Link to article: SCP-8528.
component:image-block
footer-wikiwalk-nav
[[>]] [[module rate]] [[/>]] [[include component:image-block name= https://scp-sandbox-3.wdfiles.com/local--files/eyesore/Demodex_folliculorum_SEM_crop.jpg | caption= //D. folliculorum// | align=right | width=20em ]] [[include component:image-block name= https://scp-sandbox-3.wdfiles.com/local--files/eyesore/640px-Demodex_Brevis.jpg | caption= //D. brevis// | align=right | width=19em ]] **Item #:** SCP-8528 **Object Class:** Concluded[[footnote]] Anomaly is a one-time event. [[/footnote]] **Special Containment Procedures:** Digital records of the event are kept in secure access storage, and viewing of footage is restricted to Level 4 personnel. Following autopsy, Researcher James Fernandez's body was incinerated and witnesses have been administered Class-C amnestics. The room Rsr. Fernandez was located in is designated off-limits and is to remain under quarantine until further notice. **Description:** SCP-8528 refers to a localized, spontaneous anomalous event involving the microscopic mites //Demodex folliculorum// and //D. brevis//[[footnote]]//Demodex folliculorum// and //D. brevis// are of two microscopic species of face mite that survive on human skin. They inhabit areas of the face with high sebum concentration, such as the nose, eyes, and hair follicles. Adult //D. folliculorum// are typically 0.3 to 0.4 mm long, whilst //D. brevis// being half that length. [[/footnote]] residing on the body of Researcher James Fernandez. At 18:25:42, for a duration of less than three seconds, every mite inhabiting the subject’s pores underwent a simultaneous somatic expansion of approximately 1,500% per second and reaching lengths of up to 30cm. As these mites reside within the hair follicles and sebaceous glands, the expansion occurred within the subject’s dermal and sub-dermal structure. The rapid enlargement of mites resulted in catastrophic mechanical trauma to the affected host wherein the acute volumetric increase and protrusion from the skin pores caused extensive structural disruption to the aural, oral, and nasal passageways. Total dermal avulsion, hemorrhaging, and massive craniofacial trauma was identified to be the leading cause of death, resulting from internal-to-external mechanical pressure. Due to the sheer force experienced by the mites during enlargement, the internal organs of the specimens were pulverized against their own carapaces while still stuck inside the subject's skeletal structure. ------ **Addendum:** Post-mortem analysis The following data is acquired from the autopsy of Researcher Fernandez. Due to the extreme nature of the trauma suffered, original identification via facial recognition was impossible; subject was identified via DNA sequencing and dental records where the mandible remained intact. * As the mites within the facial pores expanded, the epidermis could not stretch fast enough to accommodate the 3,000% volumetric increase. The entire facial skin was "unzipped" from the underlying musculature and ejected forward in ragged strips. * //D. folliculorum// instances residing in the eyelashes and eyebrows exerted immediate, lateral pressure on the orbital sockets. This force resulted in the bilateral prolapse of the ocular globes. As the mites continued to thicken, they entered the tear ducts, shattering the lacrimal bones and threading themselves directly into the frontal lobe. * Specimens within the ear canals reached the diameter of a human thumb in milliseconds. The expansion drove the stapes, incus, and malleus bones through the tympanic membrane and deep into the temporal lobe like shrapnel. * Thousands of mites normally localized to the nose and forehead migrated into the oral cavity during the terminal seconds of the event. The subject’s tongue was found severed, crushed against the hard palate by a dense, writhing knot of 20cm-long parasites competing for space within the oropharynx. * In the nasal cavities, the expansion pulverized the cribriform plate. This allowed for the immediate leakage of cerebrospinal fluid, which mixed with the hemorrhaging mite excrement to flood the subject’s open cranial vault. ------ **Addendum:** Trauma analysis || **Region** || **Observations** || || Maxillofacial || Complete loss of dermal integrity. Maxilla fractured into three segments. || || Nasal Cavity || Occupied by 2 //D. brevis// instances (28cm); vomer bone destroyed. || || Aural Canal || Right ear canal expanded to a diameter of 4.2cm. Petrous part of the temporal bone shattered. || || Ocular Sockets || Empty; optic nerves sheared by the friction of passing mites. || || Respiratory || Trachea collapsed internally; neck follicles birthed specimens that ligated the carotid arteries. || [[div class="footer-wikiwalk-nav"]] [[=]] << [[[SCP-8527]]] | SCP-8528 | [[[SCP-8529]]] >> [[/=]] [[/div]]