harry potter - Is lycanthropy a magical disease?

In Potterverse there are magical illnesses -- for example, Dragon Pox and Spattergoit -- and I'm wondering, in the wake of all the werewolf questions, whether lycanthropy would be considered a virus. Lycanthropy is clearly a communicable condition, which is passed from werewolf to human via a bite. So what activates the lycanthropy in another's system? Saliva from the werewolf's mouth? Is there a special venom of sorts? Is it simply a germ?

Is lycanthropy a disease?

Answer

Based on the fact that Bill Weasly was hurt by Fenrir while the latter was in human form at the end of HBP, and merely acquired "some wolfish characteristics" but wasn't turned into a full werewolf, it seems fairly clear that the infection is magical in its action.

Had it been a regular non-magical virus, the exact form would not be relevant to the pathogen, unless wolf form of a werewolf adds some extra biological agent strengthening the pathogen's action. While not explicitly ruled out in canon, it seems a mightly unusual thing even for DNA-affecting pathogen like lycanthropy to do (DNA-affecting is the likeliest mechanism if it was not magical).

From another angle, JKR stated (in Warner/JKR vs. RDR BOOKS court transcript)

I know that I've said publicly that Remus Lupin was supposed to be the H.I.V. metaphor.

Being a metaphor, doesn't preclude either "magic/non-magic" answer.

Comments

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