Fears LA wildfires could spread deadly fungi – would it be like The Last of Us?

As the most destructive wildfires in Los Angeles’ history continue to raze California, there’s a chance something else could be spreading without anyone realising it.

Fungus spores.

In HBO’s post-apocalyptic zombie thriller The Last of Us, a mutated version of a real-world fungus has infected humans and turned them into zombielike beings covered in mushrooms.

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Don’t worry, there’s next to no chance of this ever happening, scientists have stressed.

Any mind-bending effects from fungi tend to wear off after the spores leave our digestive tracks, while human-to-human transmission is rare.

But that doesn’t mean that fungi don’t pose a risk to humanity, especially as climate change makes a fungal pandemic more likely.

Dr Martin Hoenigl, an expert on fungal pathogens from the Medical University of Graz, said that disasters like the LA wildfires could lead to fungal infections spreading.

‘Humans have adapted to the increasing number of disasters, so the number of human fatalities has remained stable over the last few decades despite higher frequency of natural disasters,’ he told MailOnline.

‘However, these disasters can, in the short and in the long term facilitate fungal diseases by spreading fungal pathogens with wind or wildfire smoke.’

Fungi reproduce by spewing microscopic spores. If inhaled or they find a way to wriggle into the bloodstream through direct skin contact, some types of spores can cause infections.

Transmission between humans, however, is rare. Our toasty blood is far too hot for most fungi to survive in.

Large-scale wildfires, meanwhile, have increased both in size and frequency in the western US over the last three decades, according to environmental officials.

While the perception is that these fires singe any kind of plant life in their path, things go a little differently for mushrooms.

Scientists have found that soil-dwelling fungus spores can hitch a ride on wildfire smoke, allowing them to travel thousands of miles.

Hospital admissions of valley fever, a fungal infection common in California, for example, rose by 20% in the month following any wildfire between 2014-2018.

As the planet warms while humans continue to use fossil fuels, scientists expect fungal pathogens will make the most of the warmer weather.

Heat pushes the fast-forward button on the evolution of fungal pathogens. They can grow more infectious, spread over far greater distances and reach more people. 

‘By adapting to increasing temperatures in the environment, this brings them closer to being able to survive also at the human body temperature, and thereby becoming a threat to us humans,’ said Hoenigl.

Candida auris, a mysterious and dangerous fungal infection resistant to most drugs, has gained the ability to infect people thanks to warmer temperatures.

While scientists cranking the heat of one insect-killing fungus found that it went from being able to tolerate 32°C to 36.6°C in only two months.

But as flexible as fungi are, they do also have a bit of a ‘if it ain’t broke’ approach to life.

Take cordyceps, the ghoulish mushroom that takes over ants which inspired The Last of Us. If fossils are any indication, this species has been hijacking ant bodies for tens of millions of years.

So why target giant fumbling humans instead?

‘Things like cordyceps are so well adapted to their insect hosts’ Dr Rebecca Drummond, a fungal immunologist from the University of Birmingham, told MailOnline.

‘It’s unlikely that we’ll see a big shift like in The Last of Us.’

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