How Much Do You Know About Cordyceps – the Zombie Fungus?

In the video game and highly appraised HBO show “The Last of Us,” humans struggle to survive on Earth after an extremely infectious fungus turns ordinary people into zombies. The creators of the franchise didn’t look too far for inspiration. In fact, the HBO series is based on a real-life species of fungus that, indeed, performs some sort of “mind control” on its insect hosts.

Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, also known as cordyceps and zombie-ant fungus, generally infects insects like ants and spiders. Like many other parasites, cordyceps suck all the nutrients out of its hosts before filling its body with spores that will later on let the fungus reproduce.

Then, it compels the insect to seek height and remain there before it ejects those spores, infecting other insects in the meantime.

Bryn Dentinger, an esteemed biology professor at the University of Utah and curator of mycology at the Natural History Museum of Utah, explained that the fungus is one of the most famous ones, and probably most commonly encountered type of organism with this specific capacity of mind control.

He also said that scientists aren’t completely sure how cordyceps are able to have the effect it does on insects, even if there are a couple of theories. “Apparently, there is some combination of physical manipulation of muscle fibers, such as growth into the brain itself, that can ultimately impact its behavior.

However, there’s also quite likely some sort of chemical attack on the host, either small molecules, proteins or other things of its kind, that end up manipulating overall brain behavior.”

Dentinger happens to be a huge fan of HBO’s adaptation of The Last of Us, and he insisted there are some huge differences between how the fungus is portrayed in the show and real life.

Cordyceps doesn’t generally infect other hosts through the mouth, for instance, and the infected aren’t connected to one another through a network. Perhaps the most important thing to know is that fungus can’t infect humans. We have a body temperature that’s high enough to resist most organisms.

At this temperature, their proteins denature, and so they can’t survive in our bodies,” he explained. However, there are certain species of fungus that are capable of withstanding higher temperatures, therefore infecting humans.

Climate change is equipping some fungi with the ability to withstand higher temperatures. It’s also possible for a fungus with similar mind control to be able to withstand a human’s body temperature. “There might be a reason why we notice more fungal infections in humans. But then again, none of them are cordyceps. But this isn’t completely excluded in the future.”

There are already some species of fungus that can alter our mental processing, like psilocybin, also known as “magic mushrooms.” In the meantime, other kinds of fungi are already ubiquitous in human life.

For example, let’s take yeast: it is found both in bread and in the human gut. While the prospect of fungus being capable of manipulating human behavior isn’t completely impossible, it’s also not likely. The fungus’s traits that would allow it to attack an insect host are extremely specific to that insect. It’s not easily transferable to other species.

Did you know you can catch these diseases from animals?

Even if most animals are the cutest ever, they can also be a source of illness for humans. The so-called zoonotic diseases can stem from bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi. Moreover, most infectious diseases that plague people can easily be spread by animals.

Over six in every 10 infectious diseases in people come from animals, while three out of every four new diseases in people come from animals, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explained. Here are some of them!

Rabies

When an infected animal bites another one or even a person, it automatically transmits this nervous system ailment. Rabies generally takes time to pass to the brain, which is also when people show symptoms such as fever or headache, which progress to delirium, hallucinations, and abnormal behavior.

The disease is in most cases fatal, right after the symptoms show up, even if it can be prevented if animals are vaccinated. In the United States, rabies is quite common in wild animals. Just think of bats, skunks, or foxes. However, dogs still carry it in many other countries, and they also happen to be behind most human deaths from the disease.

Trichinosis

Trichinosis, commonly known as trichinellosis, passes down to humans when they ingest undercooked or raw meat that carries the larvae of Trichinella spiralis. It is especially damaging for bears, cougars, wild boars, and pigs.

Even if death from this roundworm is quite rare, it’s not completely excluded. Generally, symptoms include diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, fever, and even fatigue; they can slowly progress to aching joints, itchy skin, constipation, and cough.

Moreover, most people could pass it off as the flu. Trichinosis is also diagnosed with a blood test or muscle biopsy, and prescription medications can easily treat it. Around 20 cases a year pop up only in the United States, so it’s still worth noting, as CDC advised.

Cat scratch disease

Your beloved feline might be all cute and fuzzy until they scratch you. That’s when you can get the cat scratch disease, which is mainly caused by the bacteria Bartonella henselae. The majority of people don’t even show symptoms after being infected, and more often than not, they get better without treatment.

Fleas are generally the culprit here since they spread the bacteria between cats. Kittens are also way more likely to have it than grown adult cats since they’re more prone to passing it to humans. A blood test can efficiently diagnose if you have it, and symptoms can range from swollen lymph nodes to fever, headache, appetite loss, and even pustules closeby to the wound. Antibiotics are definitely handy, but they generally pass by themselves.

Ancylostoma caninum

A wide variety of hookworm infections can easily pass from dogs and cats to humans, and Ancylostoma caninum is only one example. The parasite’s eggs are released into the environment when an animal defecates.

Animals and humans are then able to become infected, either by inadvertently eating them or touching them with unprotected, broken skin. The wide majority of hookworm infestations can lead to a skin condition generally known as “cutaneous larva migrans,” which can cause redness and itching.

As time goes by, red tracks are seen, tracking the larvae’s movement under the skin. Itching and pain can last for weeks in a row until the larvae ultimately die and the reaction clears up by itself.

Bird flu

Bird flu happens when you get infected with the avian influenza type A virus. These viruses usually circulate in birds and other animals, but they also don’t affect humans. Infected birds can easily distribute the virus via their saliva, mucus, and feces. In other species, the virus appears directly in organs, blood, and even bodily fluids, such as milk.

People can get bird flu by getting infected through their eyes, nose, and mouth, or by inhaling it. Touching something with the virus and then rubbing your eyes gets you in contact with it.

If you found this article useful, we also recommend checking: This Is What Your DNA Can Say About You. 6 Amazing Facts!