Killer fungus just infected its first human - uh oh

A 61-year-old man has become the first-ever recorded human to be infected by a strain of killer plant fungus after it jumped from plant to person. Uh oh, this sounds familiar.

Yes, it sounds a lot like the plot of The Last of Us. If you’ve been living under a rock, The Last of Us explores the possibility of what would happen if the cordyceps fungus began to affect humans. The cordyceps fungus currently only affects species like ants, using their bodies to spawn tendrils that spread the fungus and prolong its life cycle. Thanks to the HBO adaptation of Naughty Dog’s classic game, people have become fascinated with the idea. Experts have weighed in on whether this kind of a scenario could really happen but don’t worry. Today, we’re not dealing with cordyceps.

The Last of Us Part I launched on PC this week. Take a look at the game in action below.

As reported by our friends at LADbible, an Indian plant mycologist has contracted a fungal disease after suffering from flu-like symptoms for months. The man was also struggling with swallowing for three months. Doctors eventually carried out scans and discovered a huge abscess in his windpipe. The abscess was then drained and samples were sent to an infection lab for testing.

Analysis of the sample indicated that the man had been infected by the chondrostereum purpureum virus - with this marking the first time the fungus had jumped from a plant to a person. In plants, the fungus causes silver leaf disease and spreads via airborne spores. Foliage turns an off metallic colour and eventually dies away.

The mycologist was studying this when he contracted the fungus himself. It’s claimed that the man had been working with the study materials ‘for a long time’ before he fell ill himself. While experts have said this ‘raises serious questions,’ rest assured. Zombies aren’t taking over the world just yet.