Como eles dizem nos comentários acima, este é provavelmente o erro humano por Paul Preuss. ( Analise aqui ).
A infecção no livro é um vírus da pólio, não um vírus da gripe, mas os efeitos disso são como descritos acima. A revisão declara:
But so powerful is Epicell that soon it's producing original work. Meanwhile, however, those who have intimately handled Epicell develop mysterious ""colds"" (readers will guess what's going on long before the characters catch on). Yes, they've been infected with Epicell--which proceeds to develop inside the victims' brains. The first sufferers, unable to handle the human/computer interface, die; later, though, others survive to manifest such strange and highly beneficial new abilities as instant computing, perfect memory and coordination, heightened emotional sensitivity, and more.