With premiere scheduled for this Sunday (15/1), The Last of Us is a series that portrays an apocalyptic scenario caused by the Cordyceps fungus, capable of transforming infected human beings into cannibalistic zombies.
But does this virus exist and might it cause a zombie apocalypse, as portrayed in the series?
The fungus and the zombie apocalypse
Yes, the fungus portrayed in the series exists: Cordyceps, of the phylum Ascomycota, stands out for being an endoparasite of arthropods, such as ants and moth larvae. It infects the victim with its spores, keeping the host alive for a certain period.
When the fungus develops inside the body of ants, it consumes their muscular structures. During this process, the ant maintains its normal activities. But regarding two weeks following infection, the fungus reaches the invertebrate’s central nervous system.
At that moment, the ant starts behaving strangely, showing frequent and tremulous movements, which result in convulsions.
Soon following, the insect dies and, one or two weeks later, the formation of the ascoma outside the animal’s body is observed, which is nothing more than a structure of sexual reproduction. The new spores of the fungus are produced and released into the environment, being able to infect new ants.
So yes, fungus can cause a zombie apocalypse — but only for ants. There is no report of similar infection in humans – however, it has other purposes and is widely used in medicine.
Cordyceps for medicine
The Cordyceps fungus is found only in the Himalayas and the Tibetan plateau. He is well known in traditional Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Indian medicine. In China, Cordyceps is even marketed in packages containing the parasitized larva and fungal ascoma, and is considered the most expensive item in Chinese medicine.
Its consumption is recommended to treat health problems such as:
- Anemia;
- Low immunity;
- Sexual impotence;
- Slow down the aging process;
- Post-surgical recovery;
- Tumors.
However, due to its popularity in traditional medicine and its high economic value, a decline in the fungus population has been observed. In addition to suffering from excessive collection, it is also affected by climate change. Today, the fungus is considered a vulnerable species.
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