It’s not The Last of Us, but real-life fungus can ‘eat’ human flesh

The series The Last of US is one of those that were released recently, causing a resounding success on the HBO Max platform, with millions of viewers each episode. The production tells an apocalyptic world, in which a fungus is responsible for turning people into zombies. However, the microorganism portrayed in the series does in fact exist, but it is not capable of affecting humans.

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There is no fungus capable of turning people into zombies, but some threats remain dormant in nature. Even one of these organisms can become a real threat to the world’s population as a result of climate change. That’s what US experts found.

Can fungus become a threat to people?

Since 2013, there has been a disease popularly called “valley fever”, but there is no need to worry. Doctors have already explained that there is no chance that this disease will become something apocalyptic.

The HBO series shows a fungus that takes over the brain of insects (which actually exists), but that becomes infectious to humans due to global warming. Even if the scenario is hypothetical, there are other fungal threats that can harm people.

What is valley fever?

The coccidioides-like fungus thrives in hot, arid climates and typically lives in the southwestern United States. He is the cause of the infection called valley fever, as reported by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Infection occurs through inhalation of spores spread in the air and usually presents mild symptoms. Symptoms are very similar to those of covid-19, with fatigue, cough, fever and muscle aches, in addition to skin eruptions.

However, if the disease progresses and the fungus passes from the lungs to the brain, the case can end in death. Nearly 200 people die each year from valley fever. In 2019, 20,000 cases of the disease were recorded, with the majority in California and Arizona.

Understand the risks of fungus

With global warming, recent studies show that valley fever could spread from 12 to 17 US states by 2100. That’s what researcher Paris Salazar-Hamm, from the University of New Mexico, told NBC.

The most impressive thing is that this fungus is capable of causing acute inflammation throughout the body and is able to feed on human flesh. When it reaches the spinal cord or brain, the chance of death is 40%.

The disease still needs further study, as it is not known why some people have severe symptoms and others do not.