I am doing research for a novel (working title: "XY") and am exploring some possible ways that the central problem of the book could come about. To summarize, some very misguided people want to eliminate all human males from the Earth. I can think of several ways to try to do this, but the one I am leaning towards is the use of a virus. This leads me to post my questions here, since I would like to know if my idea is at all plausible.

My concept is that a woman who becomes infected will be a carrier for the virus. She might exhibit little or no symptoms. However, in the presence of a Y chromosome, the virus is near 100% lethal. One possibility I have some interest in is an oncovirus. I realize that this idea might require some secondary interactions with other chromosomes to work, but again, if it is even remotely possible, that’s fine.

I would appreciate any feedback people might offer. The book will be written to a layman’s understanding of virology and human genetics, so there is no need to try to hash out the exact mechanics in any detail. Rather, I just don’t want to make any huge missteps in my assumptions.