The Last of Us video game and its live-action adaptation follow a fictional post-apocalyptic story about surviving in a world where a mutated Cordyceps fungus evolves to survive in human bodies, turning people into violent zombies. According to the chief of the Mycotic Diseases Branch at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Tom Chiller, this idea that a fungi species can mutate to survive the high temperatures of a warm-blooded body is “far-fetched” (Parshall, 2023). We are inhaling fungal spores all the time, but because of our immune system and high body temperatures create inhospitable conditions for fungal species to live (Beckham, 2023).
Photograph by Liane Hentcher/HBO: https://press.wbd.com/us/image/bella-ramsey-anna-torv
Luckily for us, Cordyceps (Ophiocordyceps unilateralis) does not affect humans, but insects—Cordyceps are a parasitic fungus that takes control of the brains of insects such as ants and spiders.
The spores of Cordyceps—zombie-ant fungus—take control of the mind and motor functions of their host, paralyze them, grow in them, and reproduce (Stone, 2023). The fungus will exhaust the host of all nutrients, spreading spores in the host’s body. It then makes the insect go to a higher location, where the direct sunlight makes optimal conditions for the spores to continue spreading. The Cordyceps infection to other insects is airborne, whereas in The Last of Us, the infection is transferred through bites.
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Fungi can spread in two ways: “vertical transmission from mothers to their offspring and horizontal transmission through spores in the environment” (Stone, 2023). This means that spores can be inhaled or land on surfaces of the body and infect that area of the body.
Are there Fungi that can affect humans?
According to Perlin, about one billion people suffer from hair, skin, or nail infections, e.g. ringworm or Athlete’s foot. While treatable, fungal infections carry major health risks. He adds that over 1.5 million people globally die from fungal infections. Discovered in 2009, a multidrug-resistant fungus, Candida auris, and has been placed on the World Health Organization’s list of ‘priority pathogens’. This is the first fungus to be able to spread from person to person and survive in higher temperatures (Beckham & Roberts, 2023). Candida auris and Aspergillus fumigatus are now global threats, according to the CDC.
Besides that, environmental fungi, e.g., mold, spread by emitting spores in the air, while others spread in the water and food supply (Perlin, 2023).
Rest assured, we know that fungal infections originate from the environment through inhaling spores or an exposed wound, and unlike viral infections that can easily be spread person-to-person, the risk of spreading a fungal infection is extremely low (Beckham).
Scott Roberts, MD warns that while a fungal apocalypse like The Last of Us is unlikely, there has been an increase in the risk of fungal disease because of the increased dependency on antibiotics. He explains that antibiotics kill all the good bacteria, which makes it easier for fungi to spread.
It’s challenging to make antifungal medication that doesn’t harm humans because fungi are more closely related to humans than viruses and bacteria (Beckham, 2023).
While it’s unlikely that a fungus-driven pandemic could occur in humans, we must take measures to respond to rising fungal infections or dangers.
The Last of Us brought awareness to the lack of antifungal vaccines or research on fungal infections. These fungal infections are difficult to treat due to fungi’s nature to mutate and evolve—many of the current drugs used to treat fungal infections are ineffective towards certain strains (Pires, 2024).
Sources Cited:
Backman, I. (2023, February 5). “The Last of Us” apocalypse is not realistic, but rising threat of fungal pathogens is. Yale School of Medicine. https://medicine.yale.edu/news-article/the-last-of-us-apocalypse-is-not-realistic-but-rising-threat-of-fungal-pathogens-is/
Parshall, A. (2024, February 20). Could the zombie fungus in TV’s the last of US really infect people? Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/could-the-zombie-fungus-in-tvs-the-last-of-us-really-infect-people/
Perlin, D. (2023, Feb 16). Zombie fungus from “The Last of Us”: Is it real? New Jersey’s Top-Ranked Hospital Network. (2023, February 16). https://www.hackensackmeridianhealth.org/en/healthu/2023/02/16/zombie-fungus-from-the-last-of-us-is-it-real
Pires, T. C. S., & Pires, Y. M. S. (2024). From Candida Auris to The Last of Us Cordyceps: Addressing Fungal Infections before it’s too late. Int J Allergy & Imm, 2(1), 1-2.
Stone, L. (2025, April 6). Distinguishing between fungal fact and fiction in “The last of us” . NETEC. https://netec.org/2023/05/02/distinguishing-between-fungal-fact-and-fiction-in-the-last-of-us/
