in the fictional world of Last of Us, A fungus has destroyed the world.New hit TV show highlights Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, A real “zombie ant” fungus that lets infected insects climb onto leaves, lie down, and wait for spores to germinate from their heads into the wind.
The show takes place in the wreckage of a pandemic, where a mutant strain of a zombifying fungus makes the leap to humans. That jump is no easy feat, as most species of fungi cannot withstand the high temperatures of warm-blooded bodies. “It’s crazy,” says Tom Chiller, director of the Division of Fungal Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “It won’t happen.”
But even if microbes don’t take over our bodies or sprout from our heads, newly infected, drug-resistant fungi threaten human health. Scientific American spoke with Chiller about this hypothetical pandemic to understand the real potential for fungal outbreaks and how a changing climate exacerbates these threats.
[An edited transcript of the interview follows.]
This series ophiocordyceps A real fungus. Can you separate fiction from fact?
There is no correlation with that fungus in humans. This “zombie ant” fungus actually infects ants.but no ophiocordyceps Species invade fish, amphibians, or mammals. Insects are a much more rudimentary system. They have a much lower body temperature and a much simpler set of internal organs. It would probably take millions of years for this fungus to develop and infect ants, and it would take millions of years for it to start infecting humans.
Clearly, some fungi have developed the ability to survive our high body temperatures. It could easily fly into our bodies. ophiocordyceps, No chance.
We are all familiar with bacterial and viral pandemics. Why aren’t we seeing fungal pandemics? Is it just high body temperature?
Perhaps more subtle. We are dealing with a complex biological world. Unlike many viruses and bacteria, fungi are much more self-sustaining. Fungi usually don’t need to be infected to live. The good news for humans is that fungi generally don’t spread from person to person. Some are now developing that ability, and some appear to be developing it. When fungi are seen, there is no doubt that larger infectious events such as epidemics and pandemics are of concern.
[Read our feature story about multiple reasons why new fungal diseases are emerging and already kill 1.6 million people every year]
We often hear about the growth of mold white ears in healthcare settings. Is it one of those emerging fungal diseases?
It really came out of nowhere. It was first reported in a Japanese patient in 2009. A London hospital then had to close because it could not get patients out of her ICU. It was sent from patient to bed to patient to patient. All these very nasty drug-resistant bacteria in hospitals —C. ear I act like that. It is still not known exactly why it appeared. It’s now spread to more than 50 countries, and more than half of the US, and will likely take hold.
You mentioned that the changing climate may play a role in putting pressure on these fungi to survive in new places. Last of UsHow often do you see this in real life?
Most of the fungi we work with exist in the environment and are highly sensitive to environmental changes. Warming, cooling, or general changes, fungi are subject to them.
Can they adapt to infect new kinds of hosts?
I do not have any questions. we are looking at this nowwe saw it C. ear in humans. There is also fungal white-nosed syndrome that is wiping out hibernating bats in the United States. To understand, we need constant monitoring.
How prepared are you to deal with large-scale fungal outbreaks?
We are going to be very challenged. First, there is a lack of good diagnostics in this field. We need to expand this to focus not only on fungi, but also on bacteria and viruses. Then the second area is treatment. We are severely restricted. Drugs for treating serious invasive fungal infections, he actually has only three classes.we know some things C. ear All three of these classes are resistant. What will we be left with then? The good news is that for the first time in decades there are drugs in the pipeline, but we need more.
I read that there is no vaccine against fungal infections. why?
People have tried, but without success. And there was absolutely no interest or investment from big pharmaceutical companies. I think governments and other institutions need to step in and say, “Okay, we need to invest in these.”
That said, there are some interesting vaccines that are much closer than ever. And I think the whole field of vaccinology has really moved forward. Indeed, COVID has helped facilitate that. So I’m cautiously optimistic. Candida and [the fungus Coccidioides, which causes] Valley heat in the next few years.
