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Cordyceps / ˈ k ɔːr d ɪ s ɛ p s / is a genus of ascomycete fungi (sac fungi) that includes over 260 species worldwide, many of which are parasitic. Diverse variants of cordyceps have had more than 1,500 years of use in Chinese medicine . [ 1 ]
Support for this term has become increasingly important. In 2011, it was hypothesized that the zombie-ant fungus could actually be described as a complex of species which are host-specific, meaning that one O. unilateralis species can only successfully infect and manipulate one host ant species. [3]
Simply referred to as "cordyceps", an unspecified species in this genus is the cause of a worldwide pandemic and the zombie-like "infected" in the 2013 video game The Last of Us, its 2020 sequel, and the 2023 television adaptation.
At the root of the pandemic is an evolved form of the cordyceps mushroom, parasitic fungi that include hundreds of different species. Relax, though – IRL, cordyceps may actually be pretty great ...
The cordyceps "zombie fungus" in 'The Last of Us' is indeed inspired by a real fungi found in ants. But here's what that means for those of us not living in a video-game story.
I found this wasp infected by a Cordyceps fungus on a branch in the rainforest near the town of Golfito, Costa Rica. Sony Alpha 7RIV, 2.8/90mm, ISO 100, tripod, flash with softbox Image credits: GDT
The fungus was known as Cordyceps sinensis until 2007, when molecular analysis was used to amend the classification of the Cordycipitaceae and the Clavicipitaceae, resulting in the naming of a new family Ophiocordycipitaceae and the transfer of several Cordyceps species including C. sinensis to the genus Ophiocordyceps. [14]
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