New types of fungi could pose an alarming threat to humans in the years to come as scientists fear a Last of Us-style scourge.
Fungi could evolve more resilient and vicious against humanity due to climate change, which drives the temperatures higher, as well as due to the advancement of medicine.
Patients become more susceptible to fungal infections and fungi more resilient, making antifungal drugs less efficacious, a medical professor has said, describing how a dystopian scene such as those in the Last of Us could one day become reality.
The HBO show, which is based on a video game, features zombies infected with a real parasitic fungus called Ophiocordyceps unilateralis that can take over the brains and bodies of insects, turning them into real-life zombies.
Different species of cordyceps infect different species of insects, and each took millions of years to perfect its particular brand of parasitism.
Scientists have moved to reassure the public that a similar pandemic is highly unlikely.
Humans are unlikely to be affected by cordyceps as each species of zombifying fungus is so geared towards its host species, and humans have advanced immune systems and a body temperature too high for most fungi to survive.
However, a warming planet could spawn new types of diseases as fungi evolve along with it, leading to more infections.
Recent studies have shown that viruses like Covid-19 and the flu severely impair the body’s ability to ward off fungal infections, which could result in a fungal-fuelled public health crisis.
Donald Vinh, a medical professor at McGill University in Montreal, warned that a warming planet could lead to the evolution of new types of diseases as fungi adapt and expand their location, leading to more infections.
Professor Vinh told Popular Mechanics: “Fungi are already adapting to warmer temperature and expanding their location, leading to more infections.
"Meanwhile, advances in medicine lead to more susceptible patients, and the antifungal drugs available are losing their efficacy."
Additionally, recent studies have shown that viruses like Covid-19 and the flu severely impair the body's ability to ward off fungal infections, including Aspergillus, a common fungus found in the mould that can cause shortness of breath, fever, and chest pain.
The professor concluded: "The combination of climate change, advances in medicine, and limited antifungals is the perfect recipe for a fungal scourge."
It comes as scientists have estimated that a deadly contagious black fungus with a 60% mortality spread rapidly during the Covid pandemic.
The Candida auris fungus targets predominately elderly people with weakened immune systems but is also dangerous as it resists treatment by common anti-fungal medications.
Nearly half of the patients who contract C. auris die within 90 days, according to The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
During the Covid pandemic, local health officials reported 1,474 clinical cases of the fungus which is nearly a 200% increase from the 500 cases reported in 2019.
From 2018 to 2019, cases rose by 44% from 330 to 476, then by 59% to 756 in 2020, and there was another 95% rise reported, increasing to 1,471 cases in 2021.
