91精品

By: Cassidy Delamarter, University Communications and Marketing

Since HBO鈥檚 "The Last of Us" turned a real-life fungus into nightmare fuel, audiences have been wondering if a mind-controlling fungus could really evolve to infect humans. Johnny El-Rady, professor of instruction in the 91精品 Department of Molecular Biosciences, specializes in medical mycology 鈥� fungi that can infect humans and animals. He says while he enjoys the show 鈥� based on his expertise 鈥� it鈥檚 not worth losing sleep over it. 

鈥淲hen compared to other zombies, well, this is the most scientifically accurate only because it's based on a true organism,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut what are the odds of this actually happening?鈥�

"The Last of Us" is loosely based on a genus of real fungi called Ophiocordyceps, which infects a few animal species, including ants and spiders, and hijacks their behavior. 

鈥淚t takes control of the ant. It secretes chemicals and it controls the muscle, making it climb to the perfect height for the fungus to grow and spread spores, but it doesn鈥檛 invade the brain like in the show,鈥� El-Rady said.

While that鈥檚 great horror material it鈥檚 a dead end when it comes to humans. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a massive evolutionary leap between an ant and a person. Maybe in a million years, but it鈥檚 just not how fungi work,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut the show is brilliant. I mean, it's a great show, I love it. The science is good, but again, the jump is not there. So the viewers of Bulls Nation can watch it with ease.鈥�

El-Rady has been teaching courses in microbiology and genetics at 91精品 since 1997. He uses real-world fungal cases 鈥� such as ants infected with Ophiocordyceps 鈥� to engage students in his upper-level mycology class. Many go on to veterinary school, dentistry or graduate programs where understanding how fungi interact with animals, humans and the environment becomes crucial to their studies and future careers.

鈥淵ou can't really go a day without benefiting from a fungus. Every time you eat bread, enjoy a wine or beer, savor blue cheese, you can thank fungi, so we can't live without them,鈥� he said. 鈥淔ungi are essential decomposers. Many produce life-saving drugs like the antibiotic penicillin and the cholesterol-reducing statins. They get a bad rap from the relatively few that cause disease, but there are hundreds of thousands of species. Those that cause disease in humans and other animals, maybe 2%.鈥�

While fungal infections, such as athlete鈥檚 foot or toenail fungus, can linger, they鈥檙e more annoying than dangerous. However, El-Rady said the range of pathogenic fungi is expanding and some fungi can cause more serious infections, particularly in people with compromised immune systems.

鈥淚t鈥檚 more important than ever to understand them. Fungi may not be making zombies, but they are evolving,鈥� El-Rady said.

Selina Walker, a microbiology Judy Genshaft Honors College student, is deep in the world of microbial mysteries. 鈥淚t鈥檚 fascinating how these tiny, microscopic organisms can cause such vast and sometimes detrimental diseases,鈥� she said. 

Through her coursework in bacteriology, virology and medical mycology with El-Rady, she's explored everything from hospital-acquired infections caused by potted plants to drug-resistant fungi, including , an invasive yeast that has been making global headlines since 2009 when it was first identified. 

It causes serious infections in hospitals and long-term care facilities because it is difficult to detect, spreads easily on surfaces and is resistant to many antifungal treatments 鈥� killing infected with it, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

鈥淚f we are going to worry about a fungus, this would be at the top of my list,鈥� El-Rady said. 鈥淗owever, we need to continue to study fungi because of their profound impacts across animal, plant, and ecosystem health.鈥�

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