Ellestemia
Ellestemia is a bacterial illness that typically affects dragons in the order Elignatidae. This illness can be fatal if not treated correctly and in a timely manner.
The bacteria is light dependent and grows in dark areas. It is impossible to eradicate completely, and anyone owning a dragon in this family should ideally carry antibiotics at all times. The A to Zoo has reported nineteen cases of ellestemia in the past year with their animals, all of which were cured within days of initial discovery.
Symptoms
Ellestemia has three typical symptoms: musical sneezes, scale growth, and fragile bones.
The first symptom, musical sneezes, is a clear indicator of ellestemia. Dragon sneezes are typically destructive, setting fire to anything nearby. When a dragon has ellestemia these sneezes are fireless and sound pleasant to the ears.
Scale growth is especially common in wiretail species. It is an especially difficult symptom to treat, as it can quickly grow out of control. Scales all over the body will grow larger, causing them to move out of place, sometimes falling off entirely.
It can leave to overcrowding in areas around the back of the neck or joints, and in other areas entire patches of scales will fall off, leaving the body vulnerable.
After scales start to grow, bones will also deteriorate. This typically happens in the wings, legs, and neck. The neck in particular is extremely vulnerable, and if a bone breaks in the neck, it often leads to death of the dragon. At this point the dragon will need to undergo serious rehabilitation in order to fully heal it, and the dragon may need extra bone support for the remainder of its life.
Treatment
NO NO NO DON'T SNEEZE-
achuuu uuu uuu~
Oh- oh no, this is bad in a different way.
Wild dragons are very susceptible to this disease. The animal's immune system can fight it off, but more often than not the system is not strong enough and the bacteria will eventually win, killing the dragon.
In captivity, simple anti-biotics can rid the dragon of this disease. On some planets, such as Dracosei, there is limited contact with people beyond the atmosphere, and so any ailments are manufactured on the planet. Elsewhere anti-biotics are imported by Macerton BioMeds, a pharmaceutical company specialising in manufacturing medication for domestic and exotic animals.
I'm glad there's a really obvious symptom, and it's the earliest one!
Explore Etrea | WorldEmber 2025
Me too! :D