Katie is a writer and film & television enthusiast based out of Tennessee. What Cordyceps, The 'Zombie' Fungus On 'The Last Of Us,' Is Like IRL However, trees in a forest can communicate with one another through underground fungal networks connected to their root systems, which could be the inspiration behind the connection of the infected in The Last of Us. Its no wonder that in Episode 1 of The Last of Us, we can see a high number of amputees in the Boston quarantine zone since people are probably willing to cut off some limbs to stop the fungi from spreading on their insides. Experts Ponder Whether the Horrific Zombie Fungus in "The Last of Us I was part of a team that recently published a review discussing the emergence, and re-emergence, of fungal infections in Africa, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. The Last Of Us Shows Us New Shades Of Nick Offerman, 5 Truly Gross Parasites That Have Ruined Real People's Vacations. The infected in the last of us are terrifying seeing as this type of disease already exists in the animal kingdom. In the show, the outbreak that devastated the world was caused by the Cordyceps brain infection . The higher the stage of the infection, the more monstrous the person gets. There are also Stalkers that latch onto walls to allow the fungus to fester so that the Cordyceps can keep the host alive long enough for the Stalker to ambush prey. In The Last Of Us, there are four parts to each Cordyceps brain infection. They hardly resemble regular humans due to how advanced the infection has become. Subscribe for more! You can often find her binging her favorite TV shows and attempting to start new ones (but failing at that sometimes) and ranting about films on Letterboxd. The finale of "The Last of Us" finally revealed exactly how Ellie Williams (Bella Ramsey) became immune to the cordyceps infection, confirming a long-standing fan theory. Car and the Knights Templar Review: Myth and Legend Make for a Convoluted Family Film. The Last of Us is real life for ants but not for humans at least not yet, Rosengaus said, although she wouldnt rule it out way down the line. The second offers a more unconventional idea and states we should be fearful of a fungi-induced pandemic. History In The Last of Us, the mutant infection began to spread in the United States in late September 2013. . It's really hard to clean off. A big question about season 1 of the HBO series is whether Joel gets infected. As with so many terrifying scenarios, the germ-gone-wild depicted in the hit show has roots in the real world. University of Cape Town provides funding as a partner of The Conversation AFRICA. Bloaters appear enormous and towering in size, with the hosts body buried deep under thick fungal plates. While The Last Of Us changes Ellie in some ways, she and Joel are still smart and fascinating characters to follow. The next stage of infection is the Stalker, categorized by fungal plates that have begun to grow over the eyes. And the thing about them is that they are quite unique in terms of their behavior. Episode 1 of HBO Maxs The Last of Us proves why the series (and the games) are so successful. Climate change is also introducing new dangers, including new fungi. Some adapt to survive in hostile, low-nutrient and low-oxygen environments. The deadly parasite's grand finale involves sending toxic spores blooming from the dead ant's head. At this point, the head has been entirely replaced with fungal growths and the body has developed sacs of mycotoxin that the Bloater can throw at their prey to incapacitate them. 1 History 2 Real world inspiration 3 Behind the scenes 4 Videos 5 References History In The Last of Us, a mutated strain of the Cordyceps fungus began to spread in the United States in late September 2013. While we know that the HBO series is changing some elements of the infection (such as no longer having it spread via airborne spores), its safe to assume that the stages of Cordyceps infection defined in the game will remain similar based on the creatures seen in the trailers so far. But this jump from insects to people is highly implausible, says Roberts. Creators of the franchise didn't look far for. We do have zoonotic infections, Roberts said. And because she changed her mind, she ensured that Joel wouldn't eat pancake mix or flour that had the Cordyceps fungus inside of it. 0000-0002-7299-680X). The slaves on these plantations believed a sorcerer could cast a spell to turn a person into a zombie. The Last of Us HBO Max: How does the fungus spread? - Vox Once reunited with his family, he recounted what it was like to enter a zombie-like state. Its all part of the biological imperative that pushes all living creatures to reproduce and ensure the continuity of their genetic pool. Additionally, some of the WHO-recommended antifungal drugs such as flucytosine are unavailable in most African countries. The Cordyceps originated from South America, carrying into humans through infected crops. The Last of Us airs Sundays at 9:00 p.m. on HBO and streams on HBO Max. Tess doesn't go out guns blazing in an energetic high; she goes out paralyzed and frightened. Fungi kill around 1.7 million people a year - that's about three times as many as malaria. It's true that the infected characters are scarier than zombies and that is partly because of how fast the infection spreads. The show points toward a similar origin but gives both more and less information than the games. The Den of Geek quarterly magazine is packed with exclusive features, interviews, previews and deep dives into geek culture. The fungus, spread through a bite from an infected individual or exposure to spores, infects a living individual and transforms them until they become a horrific The Last of Us bloater. The first scientist gives an expected answer, to fear viruses. Joel presumably tells Ellie the truth when he explains that the infection probably started through an infection of ingredients like flour or sugar, mentioning products like bread and cereal. How did The Last of Us outbreak start? Cordyceps explained And they are both all too aware of that fact. Cordyceps (not the last of us) become an ant brr brr. While these factors are not unique to Africa, the burden of fungal diseases and the number of people who succumb to them is much greater. Fortunately, Ellie responded to treatment. But the point is that an infected person is going to get their mind taken over by the Cordyceps fungus. It has a nickname that reveals its insidious nature - the lid lifter. But what about definition differences? One is a type of yeast called Candida auris. Of course, it only takes a few hours to two days for the person to lose their mind to the infection, but it would take a while for the infection to force the persons body to undergo rapid changes and mutation. In the video game form of The Last of Us, the characters wear gas masks to protect themselves from infectious, airborne spores. The Last of Us episode 1 begins with two scientists deliberating over the biggest threat to mankind in the 1960s, with one stating that fungi are . This may seem far-fetched but fungi can, and do, infect human brains. By stage four, the individual will have the fungus covering almost all of their body. Theres another entity hijacking our brains right now: science fictionesque misinformation masquerading as fact. That clip of zombie ants inspired "The Last of Us" - possibly the best video game I've ever played, and now a hit TV series which follows the same plot. More than 4,000 . In addition, zombie viruses are also a commonly used mode of infection, and these viruses cause zombie outbreaks in many popular shows and movies, such as The Walking Dead and World War Z. Those who are afflicted by this infection have almost no chance of recovering, and thats why it is more dangerous than any other outbreak weve seen in post-apocalyptic storylines. Thats part of the fun., Samuel Hoeksema as a clicker in The Last of Us. This fungus mostly affects ants but can also affect other insects. Editor's note: The following article contains spoilers for Episode 1 of, 'The Last of Us' Review: Everything a Great Adaptation Should Be. Someone can be infected by spores from a dead body of an infected person. NEXT: Abby Isn't The Only Casting Challenge Facing The Last Of Us Season 2. The burnt out villages at frontlines of India violence, Nigeria's 'tax collectors': Menacing and mafia-like, The Capitol rioters who regret saying sorry, The surprising truth behind the 'walking' statues of Easter Island. Above, lead characters Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Tess (Anna Torv) discover a human body that was taken over by a fungus. Most of the population affected by fungal infections live in rural or poor urban settlements. Likely, the infected recognized Tess as one of their "own" due to her own infection, and wanted to speed up the process via tendrils. Species of parasitic Cordyceps and Ophiocordyceps fungi are very real. This article contains spoilers for The Last of Us episode 9. She came out of a coma after 12 days on a ventilator. In both The Last of Us show and game, the spread of a mutated (and largely fictionalized) form of the Cordyceps fungus . The science behind the kiss seems to be that the fungus acts as its own "being" inside the human's head. "The Last of Us" Apocalypse Is Not Realistic, But Rising Threat of Fungal infections in the brain aren't just the stuff of movies - Africa Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia occurs in 15%-20% of HIV patients who present with respiratory problems. So, with that said, we are here to look at the different stages that a person undergoes when he has been infected by Cordyceps. Nevertheless, they are quite sluggish in their attacks. As long as something is interesting and worth his time, Ysmael tends to devote his effort to it, as he has been great at geeking out about a certain topic. Surprisingly, many people actually take cordyceps as a supplement, and research has shown that cordyceps can strengthen the immune system and may even have some cancer-fighting properties. She had to be bundled up in a hammock and taken in a boat to get medical help. On their way to the State House to drop off an immune Ellie to the Fireflies, the trio of Tess, Joel and Ellie encounter a duo of clickers that prove to be forces to be reckoned with. "For this fungus to be able to jump from an insect to us and cause an infection is a very big leap," says Dr de Bekker. How The Last Of Us' Cordyceps Infection Started (& How It Spreads) Cordyceps are real, and the infection does actually spread through ants. They are not as common as the other stages of infection due to the fact that Shamblers are often found in places with plenty of water. The Last of Us gives us a unique take on the zombie apocalypse. Its a popular, great TV show, but its not really a viable or realistic portrayal of what could happen., I dont think we ought to be worried, William Schaffner, an infectious diseases expert at Vanderbilt University, said. While this particular strain of Cordyceps is currently fictional, the fungus actually does exist in the real world but typically only infects ants and other insects, turning them into zombie-like creatures to spread its spores. There was little worry that The Last of Us could pull off Tess' death. The Last of Us HBO Cordyceps Brain Infection Origin Theory. For decades, science fiction writers have taken basic ideas to an extreme. The Last of Us HBO Cordyceps Brain Infection Origin Theory How Did the Cordyceps Infection Start In The Last of Us Games? Still, when it comes to the cordyceps brain infection as the fungus is referred to in the TV show most experts seem confident that a zombie fungus mutation capable of infecting humans is . However, this is not observed in cordyceps-infected ants. there is still no known case of cordyceps infecting humans, strengthen the immune system and may even have some cancer-fighting properties, You step on a patch of cordyceps in one place, you can wake a dozen infected somewhere else, this is not observed in cordyceps-infected ants, trees in a forest can communicate with one another through underground fungal networks connected to their root systems, Top 14 Discoveries in Human Evolution, 2022 Edition. I must state that in no way am I intending to infringe rights of the copyright holder. Is The Last Of Us 'infection' based on reality? - Yahoo News The Last of Us is aware of the uncomfortable truth of the cordyceps and asks what would result from a human infection by these parasitic fungi. It is unlike the viral zombie infections that we see in movies, shows, and games, as viruses tend to have medicine or vaccines. For example, one of the opening scenes of The Last of Us focuses on two scientists on a talk show in the 1960s. The Resident Evil franchise spent a few of its games just explaining how the T-Virus turned its victims into zombies. The Last of Us' Infected Can Spread the Cordyceps Infection in the However, while the fungus starts in South America in the game, it starts in Jakarta in the TV show. She loves coffee, reading, working out, and watching TV. Nevertheless, a few aspects of The Last of Us do not mirror reality. Of course, another thing that makes the CBI unique is that it only affects live hosts as opposed to turning dead people into the undead. In The Last Of Us, there are four parts to each Cordyceps brain infection. In both the game and on TV, Cordyceps makes the leap from preying on its usual insect victims, to infecting humans. Published Aug 4, 2020 The Last of Us franchise is known for its unique take on the infected, and here is a breakdown of every stage of infected in The Last of Us 2. VideoThe surprising truth behind the 'walking' statues of Easter Island, Jane Birkin: Artist and style icon's life in pictures, How world-record mania has gripped Nigeria. For decades, science fiction writers have taken basic ideas to an extreme. The Last Of Us Explained | The Origin of the Cordyceps Fungal Brain (This is also the reason The Last of Us writers use to explain why cordyceps can infect people.). Infection by the fungus occurs when someone inhales fungal spores.