How Realistic is the Cylon Virus?

I'll admit it -- I'm killing time while I wait for the new "season" of Battlestar Galactica. Will Starbuck die? Will Apollo start eating those fattening nuts again? Which hot cylon babe will Baltar be servicing this week?

To banish questions from my mind that cannot be answered yet, I decided to do a bit of research into previous episodes. Remember how the Cylon got infected by that weird 3000-year-old lymphocytic encephalitis virus that the Simon model claimed could be "uploaded" to the Resurrection Ship? That was a pretty awesome episode. But the most important question is: what do biologists think about it? Peggy over at Biology in Science Fiction says:

Encephalitis refers to brain inflammation that is usually caused by viral infection. There are several types of viruses that cause encephalitis in humans. The arenavirus Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus (LCMV) is carried by rodents, can be transmitted to humans and causes both meningitis and encephalitis. So far, so good.

The biological basis of the humanoid Cylons hasn't been explained. According to an infected Simon Cylon, the infection affects their electrical systems.

Theytold us . . . that there was a bio-electric feedback compoent to thepathogen. It corrupts how our brains manage our immune systems.

Whilethat may be plausible, I still can't figure out how the virus might besent along with the Cylon consciousness to the "Resurrection Ship".

Just as I thought. There is NO scientific basis for a pathogen that can be sent over wifi. And now, I will watch the new episode of BSG, suckas!

Cylon-Killing Virus [via Biology in Science Fiction]