The Science Behind 'The Last of Us': Can a Fungal Infection Start the Zombie Apocalypse?

In the first episode of the popular TV show The Last of Us, which starts in the 1960s with a depressing lecture by an epidemiologist on the dangers of fungus, the prospect of such an event is introduced.

The Last of Us

About their power to infect and take control of a person's mind, a foresighted John Hannah says, "If the world were to grow somewhat warmer, then there is cause to develop." "Candida, ergot, cordyceps, and aspergillus: any one of these might worm its way into our brains and take control of billions of us, not just millions of us," said the scientist.

The show takes this concept and goes with it, skipping ahead 40 years to the time of a horrific pandemic caused by a widespread cordyceps outbreak that turns humans into bloodthirsty abominations.

An extreme result that uses a lot of artistic interpretation, but is it completely unsupported by science?

Also Read: Pathogenic Bacterium in Potatoes Creates Versatile New Antibiotic  

Fungal Invasion

According to Professor Elaine Bignell, a pioneer studying human fungal pathogens, "many fungi are invading human brains all over the earth, sometimes with terrible effects."

The general population is not well informed that certain fungus species are relatively significant diseases that kill hundreds of thousands yearly.

Viewers of The Last of Us may have noticed that a number of the risks highlighted by the show's fictional epidemiologist appeared last year on a World Health Organization list of fungi that pose a hazard to public health.

Aspergillus fumigatus, a common mold abundant in homes and outdoors and may cause "chronic and acute lung illness" and be fatal, was one of the fungi considered the most dangerous.

One of the most common sources of bloodstream infection in critical care patients is the Candida species, responsible for conditions including thrush and skin rashes.

The list included cryptococcosis neoformans, which affects the lungs and brain and causes pneumonia and meningitis in immunocompromised people. It claims the lives of around 100,000 individuals annually in sub-Saharan Africa.

According to Prof. Bignell, according to Sky News, "killing fungi do have one thing in common: they can grow at human body temperature, which is rare for a fungus."

How Dangerous are Cordyceps?

It puts quite a strain on any microbe to overcome an immune reaction in the human body and deal with the high temperature since most fungi in the environment prefer to flourish in more temperate circumstances.

The harm posed by cordyceps was not listed, yet it is unquestionably genuine.

Similar to how it affects people in The Last Of Us, the parasitic fungus infects and controls the minds of insects.

According to Dr. Mark Ramsdale, a professor of molecular microbiology at the MRC Centre for Medical Mycology, there are roughly 600 species.

"Pathogens that affect insects predominate. They control and alter the behavior of their insect host. So there is some foundation there from that angle."

The fungus, found in tropical jungles, enters an insect's body using spores that it releases to procreate and protect itself.

The fungus then directs its victim towards more humid environments to aid in its growth, feeds on the corpse, and releases fresh spores from its dead body.

In treating and curing people, cordyceps is used, particularly in Chinese herbal remedies.

The effect of climate change on the nature of fungus and our interaction with it was another aspect of The Last of Us' ominous statement shared by the WHO's ground-breaking study.

Climate Change

All of the bacteria on our planet will be affected by global warming, according to Prof. Bignell, in a "deep" way.

Few fungal species can withstand the 37C temperature and other stressors put on them by the human body. Only around 150,000 species of fungi have been discovered worldwide, a far cry from the millions that are thought to exist.

However, some do, and more could as well-either newly found species or those that evolve to live on a warmer globe.

Related Article: Rapid Decline of Insect Population Causes Scientists to Worry About Earth's Future  

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