Various methods may be used as to detect [[eclipse-phase/The Exsurgent Virus|exsurgent virus]] infection:

* <span style="line-height: 1.5;">[[eclipse-phase/The Exsurgent Virus#Plethora%20of%20Strains-Biological%20Nanovirus|Biological Nanovirus]]: [[eclipse-phase/Sensors|Blood scanners]] or tests using commonplace medical tools linked to databases of known strains.</span>
* <span style="line-height: 1.5;">[[eclipse-phase/The Exsurgent Virus#Plethora%20of%20Strains-Digital%20Virus|Digital Virus]]: [[eclipse-phase/Software#x-Programs|Infection scanner software]] or firewall scanner software linked to databases of known strains.</span>
* <span style="line-height: 1.5;">[[eclipse-phase/The Exsurgent Virus#Plethora%20of%20Strains-Nanoplague|Nanoplague]]: [[eclipse-phase/Nanotechnology#x-Basic%20Nanotechnology|Nanodetectors]].</span>
* <span style="line-height: 1.5;">[[eclipse-phase/The Exsurgent Virus#Plethora%20of%20Strains-Basilisk%20Hacks|Basilisk Hacks]]: [[eclipse-phase/Software#x-Programs|Infection scanner software]] or firewall scanner software linked to databases of known strains. </span>

Ultimately, it is the gamemaster’s call to determine if the scans are successful, as best fits the story. If the gamemaster wishes to leave it to chance, then a base 50% chance for quick scans and 80% for lengthy, detailed scans can be used. Alternatively, if the testing is undertaken by someone with an appropriate Knowledge skill, such as Academics: Neuroscience, Interest: Exsurgent Strains, Medicine: Nanomedicine, or Programming: Malware, allow them to make a skill test instead, modified as appropriate to the situation.

Note that these scanning tools only compare the subject’s readings to known, analyzed exsurgent strain variants. There are many strains in the wild that the scanners are completely incapable of detecting. The exsurgent virus is known to mutate or reprogram itself, meaning that even previously known strains may no longer trigger the software/ device’s recognition algorithms. It is also possible that recently infected subjects are harder to identify (–10 to –30), whereas long-infected subjects are more likely to exhibit noticeable changes (+10 to +30, or +10 per stage). If a particular character has previous experience with a specific strain, they should also be given an appropriate positive modifier (+10 to +30).

The [[eclipse-phase/The Exsurgent Virus#Exsurgent%20Strains-Watts-McLeod%20Virus|Watts-MacLeod strain]] is notoriously difficult to detect. Apply a –30 modifier to attempts made on infected subjects.

These scanning tools are far from perfect, and in some cases have been known to return false positives, implicating innocents as infected. The software produced and updated by the argonauts is open source, which means that there is also a wide range of variants out there, some still open source, others proprietary. These might be inferior (–10 to –30) or more specialized (+10 to +30 against specific strains).

The testing discussed above applies to exsurgent infections that are not yet visible or otherwise easily identifiable. In the case of more extreme infections, such as stage 3 of the [[eclipse-phase/The Exsurgent Virus#Exsurgent%20Strains-Xenomorph%20Virus|xenomorph strain]], identification is usually immediate and obvious given the blatant non-human nature of the subject, though they are sometimes mistaken for extreme body mods or designer morphs. Such encounters call for a [[eclipse-phase/Mental Health#Mental%20Health-Stressful%20Situations|Willpower Stress Test]]. In such cases, various skill tests may be used to identify the specific exsurgent type (Interest: Exsurgent Strains, Programming: Malware) or physical capabilities (Academics: Astrobiology,Hardware: Robotics, Medicine: Nanomedicine).