01 September 2023 , 12:38
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A new zombie-like fungus that mummifies its prey has been found in a remote rainforest in Brazil.
The fungus belongs to the same family as cordyceps, made famous by HBO's The Last of Us, and feasts on trapdoor spiders. The new specimen, named Purpureocillium, infects hosts through spores that land on the victim and penetrate the body.
Fungal tissue slowly takes over the body and shoots a purple-coloured stalk from the spider's head. João Araújo, with New York Botanical Gardens, said the fungus organises itself in the body.
"Once inside the spider's body, the fungus multiplies as yeast-like cells, overcoming the host's immune system and causing disease," Araújo told the Daily Mail. "Immediately after the host is killed, these yeast-like cell chains start to connect and germinate into filaments, or hyphae.
"They start to organize themselves to produce the fruiting body out of the host; it varies according to the species, for example, the zombie-ant fungi grows often from the back of the head, Purpureocillium grows usually from the spider's cephalothorax."
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Scientists believe the fungus is comprised of several unknown species, with its bright purple colour a mystery. "Our study is proposing that P. atypicolum is actually composed of several undescribed species; it is called a 'complex of species,' and our new finding in Brazil is just one among several," said Araújo. "We believe our new discovery is restricted to Brazil or South America."
Parasitic funghi became more well known following the success of the HBO series The Last of Us, which follows Joel (Pedro Pascal) as he encounters life-threatening experiences with teenager Ellie (Bella Ramsey) trying to escape the fungus infecting everyone who comes into contact with it.
Araújo previously said in February that cordyceps previously evolved to allow the fungus to turn ants into zombies. He added: "We hypothesize that around 45 million years ago, the fungus infected the first ant. "The cordyceps was [first] in beetles and then jumped to ants because both happened to be [in the same] tree trunk."
Araújo continued to explain that around 35 ophiocordyceps fungi are known to turn insects into zombies, which are found in the US, Brazil, Japan and parts of Africa. But while in the HBO show, the fungus causes humans to mutate into cannibalistic zombies, this does not actually occur in nature and instead makes insects appear drunk.
"The zombie ants, when they are infected, they just want a peaceful and cool place to provide a platform for the fungus," he said. "That is their last goal in life - to find a good spot for the parasite to thrive. There's no aggression. The infected ants will not attack. They act in a very strange way, like a drunk ant."
While the newly discovered fungus and cordyceps will not infect humans anytime soon, other fungi currently in the world pose a dangerous threat. In October 2022, the World Health Organization released its first-ever list of health-threatening fungi, which includes a catalogue of the 19 fungi that represent the greatest threat to public health.