Cordyceps fungus in The Last of Us is the infection that devastates the world, turning Earth into a post-apocalyptic landscape.
The fungus is usually fatal to animals, but in the show, it mutates to attack humans, turning them into zombies.
Cordyceps is not a made-up fungus, and it does exist in real life. However, it is generally safe for people and mostly causes upset stomachs, nausea, and dry mouth.
Although, in The Last of Us, this fungus attacks the human brain. It will then begin to take control of its thoughts, turning the person into a highly aggressive creature.
From there, the human who contracted the fungus will start to evolve over time into many different variations of Infected.
It is an extremely contagious infection, although there was one major change between how it spread in the game and the show.
Is There a Cure for Cordyceps in the Last of Us?
Unfortunately, there is no cure for the Cordyceps infection. This fungus is extremely devastating, and any contact will turn you into one of the zombie-like infected.
The reality of this fungus is showcased perfectly in the opening of episode two. Here we see Doctor Ibu Ratna become visibly upset when she learns of the human mutation for Cordyceps.
She explains there is nothing that can be done and suggests that a bomb should be dropped on the city to stop the infection.
This sets the tone for how dangerous this fungus is, as the expert in this field becomes worried for the future of humanity.
However, it does appear not all hope is lost as one major character looks to be immune to the infection!
This character could be the key for the fungal experts as they attempt to create a cure or vaccine to beat the Infected.