Cordyceps

People are inhaling many different fungi as they walk around on a daily basis. That's according to Kevin Kavanagh, Professor of Microbiology at Maynooth ...

"Recent results from the World Health Organisation estimated that in the developing world funghi may kill in the region of 700,000 people a year. "Fungi that attack us and cause disease and us - many of them are quite happy at a temperature of 37°, which is our body temperature. "Most fungi are in the environment - they're in people's gardens, they're in forests - they're growing at temperatures maybe of 8 to 10°, they're quite happy with that. "The Last of Us is sort of loosely based on that, but - to the best of our knowledge - only insects are susceptible to think type of fungus." "It means then that the insect is infected: it climbs up a branch or a twig and then it locks into place. "Cordyceps are a group of fungi that attack insects," he said.