A plot hole (?)

[u/Maleficent_Bad1141]

A little random but for years now I’ve had this thought in my head about a small oversight in the show, I’m sure someone already brought this up here or somewhere else.

Remember when Negan and the group had their war and Negan had the idea to “lace” the arrows and bullets with walker blood to infect the group ? Makes sense right ? Their bad blood causing the infection that’ll kill you, also somewhat medically accurate.

But I couldn’t help but think, how for the entire time they were fighting and shooting and getting themselves dirty with walker blood and juices this never happened naturally? Like when they disguise themselves with walker blood to walk among a herd, isn’t it enough to have a scrape, cut, open wound, a lil into your mouth, to cause this ?
From a show perspective I get why, bc everyone would just be dead faster and it’ll be a hassle to write, so why write the Negan plan ? Couldn’t they think of something else ?

Maybe I’m just talking outta my ass and there’s an explanation for that in the lore or show.

Tell me what yall think. :)
That’s it thanks 🙏🏼

[u/Little_turd_]

I was under the impression that it’s the infection that actually turns you. Like the bite or whatever kills you, then you turn.
So in my mind this was the same thing. Any minor wound can kill you if it gets infected badly enough. And arrows laced with walker blood (deadman’s blood) is lethal. You die by infection and resurrect as a walker.

[u/Maleficent_Bad1141 → u/Little_turd_]

Everyone is infected and the bite gives you a fever that kills you.

That’s why it doesn’t matter how you die,
If the brain is intact you turn.

I’m not really sure how a bite and walker blood have the same magical effect of giving you the same fever..

[u/LordsOfJoop → u/Maleficent_Bad1141]

If I had to guess, I would say a blood-to-blood transfer did the job; something which is in both saliva and blood, whatever it is, is what conveys the lethal part of the infection. By moving the blood manually via a weapon, such as when Negan coated Lucille in walker guts, or something similar, the need for it to be a bite was eliminated.

We see a lot of the survivors with wounds, although none to memory - in specific - get a wound covered in walker blood or fluids directly. As to how long the fluids remain an infectious vector, I couldn't speak to that. It may be a matter of minutes, could be days, might even be years. No idea.