Unnatural Selection

Just rewatching this episode on Tubi. What would have happened if say a Ferengi ship came upon the Lantry before the Enterprise destroyed it? It could happen before the Enterprise even finds the Lantry, or the Ferengi ignore the quarantine.

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Most likely the Ferengi would end up just like the Lantry crew. But if another non federation ship finds the Ferengi ship. The cycle could continue until an infected ship gets close enough to an inhabited planet for someone from the planet to board the infected ship, or for an infected but still living crew member to beam down to the planet.