The Nature of the Zombie Infection

Maybe. This is about 100 years before contact with the LOA.

lol

I cannot remember if you mentioned this before, but why not a meteor storm one night over that part of the world where the parasites originated. So some meteorites crashed on Earth and their first contact was with the creatures of the earth, ants etc. When in contact with recently dead soldiers they were able to use them as puppets. Of course the undead "puppet" soldiers would have the fungus on them also. Any live soldiers that get in contact first develop the fungus on them. At first it may look like a fungal.infection but it gets worse and their minds are soon affected where the parasite "eats/burrows" into their brain, eventually killing them or at least turning them into puppet soldiers for the parasites. Just a thought and suggestion.

@Warren Loewen In fact this parasite did come from a meteor hitting Stalingrad during one of the shellings. I have not yet revealed that info on the lore yet.