Could ‘The Last of Us’ Fungus Happen in Real Life? Here’s What a Biotech Expert Says About the Possibility
It's based on a real fungus, but could this fictional plot happen in real life?
Viewers everywhere were captivated by the recent HBO original The Last of Us, a fictional TV series based on a post-apocalyptic video game in which the world is taken over by a killer, zombie fungus. Now, the question in everyone's mind is if life could imitate art. Could mushrooms really take over the world? Here's what experts say about the possibility of The Last of Us fungus happening in real life.
Is the fungus in The Last of Us real?
The fungus prominently displayed in The Last of Us is a real fungus. However, the one in the series differs from the real-life fungus in one very significant way.
Parade consulted Dr. Mahmoud Ghannoum, Director of the Center for Medical Mycology at Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals Medical Center, microbiome researcher and co-founder of BIOHM for his expert insight.
"Ophiocordyceps unilateralis is a species that belong to Cordyceps. This fungus has been referred to as 'zombie fungus,' which infects and kills ants in tropical forests," Dr. Ghannoum explains. "When an ant comes into contact with O. unilateralis spores, the spores adhere to the ant's body and penetrate its exoskeleton. The fungus then grows inside the ant's body, consuming its tissues and eventually reaching the brain."
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Dr. Ghannoum adds, "Consequently, the fungus alters the ant's behavior, causing it to leave its colony and climb to a high point, where the fungus can more easily spread its spores. The ant then dies, and the fungus continues to grow out of its body—"[by the fungus literally popping out of the ant's head]—"releasing spores into the environment to infect other ants, repeating the cycle."
What is the fungus in The Last of Us?
It's not hard to see why the plot of The Last of Us could cause people to worry about the possibility of it causing a fungal-infected pandemic.
The key difference is that real-life Cordyceps has only been proven to affect ants. Each different strain of Cordyceps may only infect one species of ant.
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Something very similar happens to humans in the show. However, the fictional version has specifically mutated so that it can infect humans.
Can The Last of Us happen in real life?
While the real-life fungus has garnered a killer reputation thanks to its ability to infect and confound the brains of a specific species of ants, it has never been proven to affect humans.
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"Unlike human pathogens such as Candida and Aspergillus, O. unilateralis has been reported to primarily infect and manipulate the behavior of ants," Dr. Ghannoum says, adding, "there is no evidence to suggest that this fungus can infect humans."
If you're wondering whether The Last of Us could happen in real life, it's true that other fungal infections are a real concern that pose a threat to humans. Just not this one.
"Overall, most fungal infections require direct contact to a susceptible immunocompromised host—in other words, an individual who has a weak immune system such as cancer patients, transplant patients and those with immune disorders," Dr. Ghannoum explains.
But Dr. Ghannoum maintains that while other fungal infections may pose a risk, there is no evidence that even fungi that can infect humans can realistically turn someone into a zombie.
"To date, there is no evidence that shows that fungi that infect humans can lead to a zombie state," Dr. Ghannoum adds. "Having said that, some of the human pathogens—for example, cryptococcus neoformans—can infect the brain. [This causes] nerve compression and damage to the nerve cells that can lead to weakness and muscle paralysis, which could slightly mimic a partial zombie status."
Another key point? According to Yale School of Medicine, most fungal species do not grow (or survive) in environments hotter than 98.7 degrees F—same as the average human body temperature.
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Is a fungal pathogen takeover possible? Maybe. Is it highly unlikely? Definitely. However—playing devil's advocate for a second—if it were to happen, here's how Dr. Ghannoum imagines it would go down.
"The underlying reason for such a scenario is being immunocompromised due to certain diseases, including HIV," Dr. Ghannoum explains. "To prevent it from happening, it will be important to use appropriate antifungal agents to treat the infection. In addition, measures to improve the immune system will be of great help."
Can humans get infected with Cordyceps?
There is no scientific proof to suggest that Cordyceps can infect people.
"Cordyceps is a genus of fungi that includes many different species, which typically grow on or inside other organisms—often insects—and derive nutrients from them," Dr. Ghannoum explains. "To date, there [are] no reported cases of human infection caused by this organism. In fact, several members of the genus have been used over years in traditional Chinese and Tibetan medicine."
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In the TV series, humans become infected through the food they eat. That also happens in real life—but typically with bacteria (like Salmonella) or viruses (like norovirus).
Still, even if someone ingested infected fungus, remember that a human's body temperature is too high for most fungi to live. There are also microwaves, stoves and ovens to consider. Once heat is applied, it would likely kill off the fungus in the infected food anyway.
Can the zombie ant fungus infect humans?
No, the zombie ant fungus can't infect humans as far as experts know.
"'Zombie fungus' refers to a group of fungi that are known for their ability to infect and control the behavior of insects, often leading to the host's death," Dr. Ghannoum says. "These fungi are commonly found in forests and other natural environments, and they typically target ants, beetles and other insects."
Some kinds of fungi do affect humans, but Cordyceps differs too much from those pathogens, which makes it less likely to affect human behavior, infect humans or cause death.
"[F]ungi that infect humans typically have specific adaptations that allow them to penetrate human tissue and evade the immune system, and these adaptations may not be present in fungi that infect insects," Dr. Ghannoum says.
Lastly, Dr. Ghannoum adds that the "zombie fungus" is "actually an important part of natural ecosystems, helping to control insect populations and cycle nutrients back into the soil."
Next up, everything you need to know about The Last of Us Season 2.
Sources
Dr. Mahmoud Ghannoum, Director of the Center for Medical Mycology at Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals Medical Center, microbiome researcher and co-founder of BIOHM
