Dr. Marta Wrzostek, a mycologist at the University of Warsaw, gave an interview in which she spoke regarding cordyceps and explained why the events of The Last of Us are unlikely.
“Cordycipitaceae are a large group of fungi that have evolved to adapt to certain types of insects. Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, which is the best known, attacks only two species of Camponotus ants and “turns them into zombies”. There are other phylogenetic lineages that parasitize other ants.”
“They all specialize in a certain host, so it’s hard to imagine that one of them might attack a person. In the course of evolution, he would have to return to a state where he was not narrowly specialized, but became more omnipotent, and would follow the path of vertebrates.
The specialist noted that many people consume cordyceps daily in the form of nutritional supplements, and no one was harmed. In addition, mushrooms produce a huge amount of substances that have medicinal effects and are used in research to find a cure for cancer. The expert explained that the creators of The Last of Us skillfully combine scientific plots and facts, but they do it too freely and far from reality.
“There is one scene where we see the zombies grow into the wall. In fact, these are three separate organisms posing as one: ophiocordyceps, chaga, and all this is surrounded by a slimy mold that is not even a fungus.
The specialist explained that the pandemic scenario depicted in the series cannot happen in reality, since the temperature of the human body is just one of the many obstacles that the fungus would have to overcome, and even global warming is not enough for Cordyceps to mutate and represent for humans any threat.