The origin of this creature comes from a human patient who mutated when the B. mordicana fungus, later used in Vault 22, infected them. They were considered a failed experiment by the Big MT scientists, and the body was left alone. However, when the scientists returned to the laboratory, the body of Patient Zero had disappeared and can now be found at the X-22 botanical garden.
Spore carriers are quick and use melee attacks. If they are not killed quickly, they explode and deal large amounts of damage, breaking limbs and giving a large dose of radiation. When they are hiding in vegetation, they are hard to spot and will not appear on the Courier's compass, nor be targeted via V.A.T.S. until they move.
However, their health meter will become visible if they are injured by an area-of-effect weapon, like a flamer or grenade, immediately revealing their presence. While a spore carrier is getting up or sleeping, attackers in sneak mode who manually attack the spore carrier will receive a critical.
The term "Patient Zero" was originally used to describe the individual initially believed responsible for introducing the virus responsible for AIDS to the United States, although the designation was later repudiated. It has since been genericised to refer to the first described instance or "index case" of any medical condition, in which case it is used in decapitalized form.[1]