Why the scary fungus in ‘The Last of Us’ won’t cause a terrible outbreak

Question: Did you inhale any fungal spores today?

Answer: Yes. absolutely. tons of them. they are everywhere.

“Anyone who has been outdoors has inhaled fungal spores. hearts were not infected with cordyceps fungus. Last of Us Transforming the unfortunate infected into vicious zombie-like characters, they are hellbent on waging a global pandemic and spreading the disease to a dwindling (and often desperately starving) population.

Such human fungal infections are a fascinating fiction. But in fact, Cordyceps regularly hijacks the minds of bullet ant species.(opens in new tab)The fungus skillfully causes the ants to climb into the right environment for the fungus to grow. Teresa Gildner, a bioanthropologist at the University of Washington in St. Louis who studies parasitic diseases, told Mashable: Cordyceps then boldly emerges from the ant’s head, allowing the spores to unwittingly spread to other ant hosts.This very fungal savagery of inspired ants Last of Us The video game that led to a popular new series starring Vera Ramsey and Pedro Pascal.

Importantly, some fungal spores can cause serious human infections under certain conditions, but thankfully the fungal parasites that control our minds are on the cards. No. Here’s why.

The reason Cordyceps sinensis does not infect humans

If you take a walk in the forest, there is a world of fungi. we’re just going through it. Organisms feed on dead creatures and recycle corpses and organic matter into the soil, forming vast underground networks.(opens in new tab)They thrive in nature. Nothing can stop them.

“There’s no immune system out there trying to kill them,” Bruno told Mashable.

“Humans are really good at preventing fungal infections.”

But here is the problem for most fungi. It rarely survives inside the human body. “Humans are really good at preventing fungal infections,” stressed Bruno, for three compelling reasons, he says:

• Advanced Immune System: Our immune system is much more complex than an ant’s — and fungi can’t overcome our multi-layered defenses. “Our immune system recruits and kills white blood cells,” Bruno stressed. .

• We are endothermic: This means we are warm-blooded. Many fungi cannot survive in such a hot environment.

• Primed Immune System: Microorganisms, including certain fungi, thrive in the human gut. This allows our immune system to recognize and distinguish between normal fungal and fungal invaders we encounter in nature. Our immune system attacks foreign and potentially harmful spores. I am ready to

  

  A shot of a character infected with a fungus in “The Last of Us.”
  Credit: HBO

How Some Fungi Cause Serious Human Diseases

But humans aren’t completely out of the fungal forest. Certain fungi can cause serious infections in us when we are debilitated.

“There has to be something wrong with your immune system to experience a fungal infection,” explained Dr. Luis Ostrosky, M.D., an expert in fungal infections and professor of infectious diseases at UTHealth Houston. He is also head of epidemiology at the academic hospital Memorial Hermann.

These types of fungal infections are much more common than they were 30 years ago, he noted. And that’s because modern medicine inevitably tolerates more and different types of immunocompromised patients. “We are causing a paradigm shift in the number of immunocompromised patients,” Dr. Ostrosky said.Importantly, infectious disease doctors know how to identify and treat such diseases(opens in new tab).

One of the most common fungal infections seen in hospitals is Candida. Candida is everywhere and our immune system keeps it under control.But for people with weakened immune systems, candida can cause serious blood infections.(opens in new tab) It has appeared in recent years. It can be resistant to some or all antifungal drugs, causing outbreaks in hospitals, Dr. Ostrosky said. “Candida auris is a new fungus that poses a serious global health threat,” CDC says(opens in new tab)Then there’s Aspergillus. This is the mold we breathe every day. But for people undergoing chemotherapy or taking immunosuppressants, common fungus can be serious: “We used to see him once a month,” he said. Dr. Ostrosky explained. “Now he is seen once a day. This is one of the deadliest fungal infections he has.”

Spores of harmful fungi can easily spread outside hospitals.valley fever(opens in new tab) Caused by the fungus Coccidioides, which thrives in warm, dry soils like the Southwest. People breathe it in and some people are vulnerable(opens in new tab)Valley Fever is now breaking out in new locations such as Washington State and Chicago.This could be a product of an ever-warming climate that drives new places for coccidioides to thrive.(opens in new tab)said Dr. Ostrosky.

This could also portend a possible future volatile Valley Fever scenario in arid or drought-stricken areas. “Imagine wind spores all over the country,” thought Dr. Ostrosky. “That’s a more likely scenario than fungal zombies.”

Mind-control parasites are very real in nature

human infection, but Last of Us In the larger animal kingdom and beyond, parasites regularly alter the minds of their unconscious hosts.

Biological anthropologist Gildner said, “There are many examples that are both frightening and interesting.

“There are many examples that are both terrifying and interesting.”

• Ants infected with worms infect herbivores. A parasite, Dicrocoelium dendriticum, affects the ants’ brains, driving them to climb onto blades of grass at night instead of returning to the colony, Gildner explained. This makes it more likely that the herbivores that the nematode tries to infect will eat the ants. “This is the ultimate goal of a parasite, to enter the body of a grazing animal so that it can complete its life cycle and reproduce, a parasite that manipulates its host to achieve a very specific goal. It’s just one example of how many insect species there are,” Gildner said.

• Crickets infected in the brain: Very thin horsehair worms infect crickets and other insects. For example, in caves like Carlsbad Caverns National Park, crickets that take a sip absorb their larvae.Worms grow inside the cricket’s body, consume the cricket’s body, and eventually come into contact with the brain(opens in new tab)They can release mind-altering chemicals into the cricket’s brain. Ultimately, crickets people who can’t swimis forced to dive into the water, allowing a fully grown worm to emerge and reproduce.

• Devious Parasites in Cats: The parasitic organism Toxoplasma gondii employs an ingenious method of infecting cats. It reproduces in cats and is excreted in cat feces. Rodents eat poop, but they also invariably eat microbes. Once inside, the tiny microbes travel to the rodent’s brain and form cysts in the part of the mind associated with fear.Studies Show This Makes Rats Less Fearful and Vigilant(opens in new tab), allowing cats to hunt and eat more easily. And the cycle continues.

Folks, parasitic mind control is real. But don’t worry, you won’t be chased by cordyceps-infected zombies. At least, as far as anyone knows.