There is this series called the last of Us which is based on a video game of the same name! The emphasis here is Us not US!
The show as well as the game shows the struggle of Humans to survive after an infectious fungus turns ordinary people into zombies!
If you feel that is a far fetched notion then; well you might as well be a ZOMBIE!
The fungus actually exists in nature but for now infects only the ANTS! That too only a specific species! So you are safe for now!
The fungus has a complicated name called Ophiocordyceps unilateralis also commonly known as zombie-ant fungus which was discovered by the British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace.
O. unilateralis infects ants of the tribe Camponotini, with the full pathogenesis being characterized by alteration of the behavioral patterns of the infected ant!
Infected hosts leave their canopy nests and foraging trails for the forest floor, an area with a temperature and humidity suitable for fungal growth; they then use their mandibles to attach themselves to a major vein on the underside of a leaf, where the host remains after its eventual death!
It basically takes control of the body and brain of the ant but doesn’t cause immediate death, but keeps the ants alive till it has sucked it dry!
The “Zombification” Life Cycle or infection is a complex, multi-stage biological takeover starting with the fungal spores attaching to an ant’s exoskeleton and use enzymes to drill inside the body. Once inside, the fungus spreads throughout the body, though research suggests it avoids the brain itself, instead controlling the ant like a “puppet” by infiltrating muscle fibers!
Now do not worry even if you are close to ants! The colonies have actually developed defences by DISCRIMINATION!
So when healthy ants sense infection they carry affected members far away from the nest to protect the colony!
Then you have a bizarre twist of nature in which the zombie-ant fungus itself is often attacked by other “hyperparasitic” fungi. These secondary parasites can castrate the Ophiocordyceps, preventing it from releasing its spores and keeping ant populations from being completely wiped out!
At least the collective body of FUNGUS is working properly in keeping the naughty ones under control!
So next time you see someone climbing a tree with no coconuts then maybe he or she has got the FUNGUS or he or she is trying to get a good cellular reception! Either case; stay a little away for some time but have a heart and do not discriminate!
Speaking of Heart and you can only think of Devi Shetty! Working in his hospital for so many years I realised that Narayana is one of the best corporate hospitals!
Now stop thinking about the fungus zombie antS or humans and sleep!
Subh ratri…
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