HBO's The Last of Us introduced us to a completely distinct kind of zombie story, explaining the root cause of the outbreak at the very beginning. Starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, the series takes place twenty years after a fungus infection turns the majority of the world's population into zombies. Joel Miller, who helps out the resistance, the Fireflies, in exchange for certain favors, comes across a teenage girl named Ellie, whom he must accompany beyond the city. However, she just might be holding the key to ending the pandemic once and for all.
Whether you're a dedicated fan of the original games or a newcomer to the HBO series, the origin of the infection can feel elusive since the details mostly unfold in the background. While the show slowly unravels the mystery with each episode, some parts of the Cordyceps Infection remain difficult to understand. So, how exactly did the infection begin in The Last of Us?
The Origin of Cordyceps Infection in The Last of Us Series
The Last of Us is initially set in the year 2003 when communication was limited to television and newspapers; therefore, not much was revealed in the first episode, aside from the fact that the infection has spread throughout the world, and there is a nationwide emergency. However, 20 years later, Joel informs Ellie that the infection may have spread through contaminated food products such as flour and sugar, although it was more of a speculation on his part. This coincides with a scene in the first episode of the series, in which Joel and Sarah avoid all flour-based products, including biscuits and cakes.
In addition, in the second episode, a researcher in Jakarta discovers a human infected with the Ophiocordyceps fungus, which was previously thought impossible. It is revealed that the infection likely originated at a massive flour and grain factory that distributed its products all over the world. Overall, even though the particular location of origin remains a mystery (likely in Asia), the pandemic started due to tainted flour products. However, the video games provide a slightly different perspective on Cordyceps infection.
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How the Games Describe the Origin of Infection
To begin with, The Last of Us games are set in an entirely different decade, with the initial outbreak occurring in 2013 and the time skip pushing the plot 20 years into the future. The cause of the Cordyceps infection in the game was revealed by a local newspaper at Joel's house, which mentioned that the infection spread through mold-tainted crops, mainly originating from South America. Here's what it says:
"The Food and Drug Administration's investigation of crops potentially tainted with mold continues across the country. Initial lists distributed to vendors nationwide warned against crops imported from South America, but now the scope has been extended to include Central America and Mexico. Several companies have already voluntarily recalled their food products from the shelves."
This version differs slightly from what we've seen in the TV series as it does not explicitly state that the infection is tied to flour and sugar, and the outbreak appears to have originated in Asia rather than South America. Despite these differences, both the games and the show mostly kept the details somewhat ambiguous to maintain a sense of mystery in the overarching plot.
Could a Cordyceps Outbreak Happen in Real Life?
A lingering question among both fans of games and TV series is whether the Cordyceps infection could ever occur in real life. Maybe it is partly due to humans' fascination with the end of the world or their fear of a rising threat, but experts assure us that a zombie invasion akin to The Last of Us is likely not possible. The Cordyceps infection in the story works by infiltrating the host's body and brain in four different stages: losing brain function (Stage One), altering vision (Stage Two), scarring the face and blinding (Stage Three), and developing hardened fungal plates that release infectious spores (Stage Four).
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Even though the process of zombification seems frighteningly plausible, The Last of Us is still a work of fiction that greatly exaggerates the real-life Cordyceps fungus. According to the Yale School of Medicine, Ophiocordyceps Unilaterals (mentioned in The Last of Us Episode 2) is a real-life parasite that attacks particular species of insects, causing the host to lose brain function and seek a favorable habitat for the growth of the fungus. Once the insect dies, spores are released in a fungal burst, which will seek another host. However, these fungi can only infect insects, not humans. Scott Roberts, an assistant professor of medicine at Yale School of Medicine, states that,
“There are millions of different fungal and mold species out in nature that don’t cause any sort of infection in humans, and this is one of them. A Cordyceps that infects one species of ant cannot even infect other species of ants . Very few fungi or mold spread person-to-person, so a fungal pandemic is not too likely. But with factors like climate change, we may see increasing fungal threats .”
While he states that the Ophiocordyceps parasite is incapable of harming humans, Roberts also points out that climate change may potentially alter ecosystems, reminding us to be wary of this possibility. So, do you believe a zombie epidemic similar to The Last of Us is possible in real life?
