The Infection
The zombie infection in The Last Of Us is actually a real infection in real life. However fear not, the fungi cannot survive in our body and therefore can’t infect us.
This fungi is called cordyceps. For the new hit HBO show, that is an adaptation of The Last Of Us, the creator Niel Druckman and the co-creator Craig Mazin took time to research cordyceps in depth to incorporate realism into the universe.
In the universe the infection has four stages of various infected types, and one mutation (The Last Of Us Part Two). You can read more about the infected types here. In the game we were not given much or any information on how this infection spread, but in the show they give us a more in-depth explanation as to how the infection spread, how the hivemind works and how outbreak day started.
The HBO show’s goal is to give players of the game more information about their beloved universe, whilst expanding the accessibility to experience the amazing storytelling. In the show it is revealed the infection most likely infected humans through contaminated flour. This is hinted throughout the first episode when Joel and his daughter Sarah coincidentally avoid any consumption of meals containing flour. It is later subtly confirmed when the first case of an infected human came from a flour and grain factory in Indonesia.
The infection manifests itself into humans like wildfire. Within eighteen to twenty minutes the hivemind will already be implemented in the human throat. The hivemind was introduced in the show. It allows cordyceps to communicate between infected and quicken the developing infection to those freshly infected. Cordyceps does not only grow inside the host, but also underground which is what allows it to communicate with infected from a distance.
It was recently discovered that actual cordyceps do not touch its host’s brain, before this many thought the fungi was a mind-controlling fungi. Cordyceps instead spread everywhere inside the host, even appearing on the outside. The fungi does not kill its host either, this ensures the fungi can take advantage of its puppet without needing to consider decomposition.
In the universe of The Last Of Us the average infected will live up to two to four months. If the host is unlucky, their body can live up to a decade, and unfortunately even longer. When an infected dies their body will usually stick to whatever is closest whether its a wall or the floor – and then, the cordyceps begins spreading its fungi until the host is dead. How an infected dies without getting killed is yet to be revealed.
In order for cordyceps to infect humans it has to mutate. In The Last Of Us it mutated to endure warmer temperatures and therefore was able to survive in a human body. The mutation was caused by global warming, however for cordyceps to infect us humans it needs to endure more than just body temperature. It also has to endure our immune system. However, there have been increasing reports of deaths caused by another fungal infection that causes Valley Fever. The majority of those who have passed from this infection were reported to have a weak immune system. It would take thousands of years of evolution for the cordyceps infection to adapt to our body temperatures and endure our immune system.
THE LAST OF US 