“Zombie Mushroom” on the wall. Liane Hentscher/HBO
HBO’s The Last of Us features a “zombie mushroom” that has brought the world to its end. Unlike the typical monster-like zombies often portrayed in the media, the zombies in The Last of Us have been infected by a fungus that takes control of people’s minds and bodies. The creepy infections and resulting dystopia have many viewers wondering: how realistic is this scenario and could this possibly happen in real life? Here’s everything you need to know:
Is there such a thing as a “zombie mushroom”?
Actually yes. The fungus featured in the show and video game the series is derived from is based on a real fungus that infests ants Ophiocordyceps unilateralis. “Like something straight out of science fiction,” David Attenborough described it in a 2006 episode planet Earth“the fruiting body of Cordyceps erupts from the ant’s head.”
The fungus causes ants to climb trees, dangle from branches, and then rain spores all over the forest, writes CNN. According to NPR, it’s one of the most well-known organisms with the “mind control” ability. “There seems to be a combination of physical manipulation of muscle fibers, for example possibly growth into the brain itself, that can have an impact [insect] Behaviour,” explained Bryn Dentinger, a biology professor at the University of Utah. “But there’s also quite likely some kind of chemical attack on the host, either small molecules or proteins or other things that end up manipulating brain behavior.”
Can it infect humans?
100 are currently known Ophiocordyceps Species that have the ability to infect a range of insects, but only 35 have found the ability to take control of the insects’ minds and bodies, writes CNN. Luckily, none capable of infecting humans have been found.
João Araújo, associate curator and researcher in mycology at the New York Botanical Garden, said it was “very unlikely” that the fungus could infect humans. The Cordyceps are “unprepared to invade, establish, and transmit spores in a human body” and “cannot even establish themselves in mammals or non-insect animals,” Araújo said forbes.
This is mainly due to the massive differences in physiology between insects and humans. “They are superspecies specific,” explains Charissa de Bekker, an assistant professor at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. “They have very sophisticated machinery for interacting with their hosts and doing these really interesting things like behavior changes, but they can’t even jump from one species to the next.”
Are there fungi that affect humans?
The high human body temperatures render Cordyceps unable to affect humans, but there are other fungi that are adapted to these higher temperatures. “That could be one reason why we’re seeing more fungal infections in … people,” Dentinger said. Scientists estimate that about 1.7 million deaths per year are due to severe fungal infections. Some mushrooms, such as “magic mushrooms”, typically consumed recreationally, act as psychedelics and affect the human mind.
Climate change is also forcing fungi to adapt to survive in warmer environments. “Thus, if their optimal growth temperatures become higher and closer to our body temperatures, we may be more likely to have more human fungal infections in the future than we are currently seeing,” noted de Bekker.
While the likelihood of a zombie apocalypse is slim, fungal infections are a growing concern. A particularly deadly candida auris, is highly contagious and unresponsive to treatment. It has been found in 30 countries. Fungi are generally more difficult to treat because their cells resemble human cells. It’s difficult to find a treatment “that targets the fungus and not the human,” says Dimitrios Kontoyiannis of the Medical Mycology Research Center at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Could the world experience a fungal pandemic?
The consensus is that while not impossible, it is highly unlikely. Fungi don’t spread the same way bacteria or viruses do, and in most cases require skin-to-skin contact, writes The hill. Unlike viruses, fungi do not necessarily need a host to survive.
According to a report by the World Health Organization, those who are immunocompromised or already have chronic health conditions are more susceptible to yeast infections. There are currently 19 fungal diseases that pose a threat to humans.
In general, climate change is making the world more vulnerable to pandemics and the world is unprepared for a potential fungal outbreak. “We really only have three classes of drugs to treat severe fungal infections,” said Tom Chiller, chief of the fungal disease division at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “But what if a particular strain is resistant to all three? We have drugs in development, but we need a lot more.”
David Hughes, one of the scientists consulted in the creation of The last of us, described it as a “real-time study of what we pay attention to and what we react to.”
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