Man accused of 'trying to start Last of Us' by growing apocalyptic 'zombie fungus'

A fungus fanatic has taken to TikTok to show how he's growing real 'zombie fungus' cordyceps, which wipes out the civilised world in HBO's apocalyptic thriller The Last of Us

14:25, 28 Feb 2023Updated 14:25, 28 Feb 2023

[The man has been accused of 'trying to start The Last of US']

The man has been accused of 'trying to start The Last of US'(Image: sporensprout/Instagram )

A man has left people concerned that that he could spark the end of civilisation with a homegrown 'zombie fungus' similar to that seen in apocalyptic thriller The Last of Us.

The smash hit TV series from HBO envisions a pandemic with a twist, as a fungus, not a virus, ferociously begins wiping out civilisation at an alarming rate.

In the show, the fungus, cordyceps, takes over the bodies and brains of those infected, turning them into flesh eating zombies.

So when one TikTok user shared a video in which he details how to grow the so-called zombie fungus at home, it naturally had people a little worried, with some accusing him of "trying to start The Last of Us".

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Mushroom cultivation company Spore n Sprout showed viewers how to grow cordyceps at home.

The specialist sells vials of cordyceps serum on his website which users can pick up for under $13.00 (10.50) a syringe.He said: Im going to show you the easiest way to grow cordyceps militaris with Uncle Bens rice.

Then, he injected a bag of rice with 10ml of the fungus culture, covered the injection site with tape and massaged the bag.

[The Last of Us, cordyceps, fungus, zombie, TikTok, Spore n' Sprout, Uncle Ben's, grow, eat ]

The cordyceps fungus destroyed civilisation in The Last of US creating vile hoards of zombies (Image: HBO)

The fungus was left to grow at 26C for two weeks, he said.

One concerned viewer wrote: Bro is trying to recreate The Last of Us.

Spore n Sprout responded, hopefully tongue in cheek, saying: I am almost successful.

Afterwards, he removed the 'zombie rice' from its packet, sealed it in an air-locked bag and placed it under blue and pink lights for the fungus to "mature".

[The Last of Us, cordyceps, fungus, zombie, TikTok, Spore n' Sprout, Uncle Ben's, grow, eat ]

The fungus fantastic breads cordyceps in packets of Uncle Ben's rice (Image: sporensprout/Instagram )

The cordyceps reaches full maturity after 45 to 50 days.

While human body temperature is too high to allow these specific fungi to grow, fungal infections worldwide kill 1.7million people pear year, according to research.

The 2020 study in The Journal for Unicellular Biology and Human Disease said that the spread of fungal infections is a "silent crisis".

Another worried commenter said: Oh my god it's just like that show The Last of Us on HBO.

[The Last of Us series is a global hit, following on from the two video games ]

The Last of Us series is a global hit, following on from the two video games (Image: 2022 Home Box Office, Inc. All rights reserved. HBO and all related programs are the property of Home Box Office, Inc.)

A third wrote: Bro theres a couple games and a few episodes on why this is a bad idea.

Spore n Sprout said that they wanted to spread the knowledge of mushrooms and their potential, adding they want to get people growing [their] own gourmet mushrooms.

The hit series is science fiction, and while unlikely, a pandemic caused by fungi could be devastating, Dr Andrej Spec, professor at the Washington University School of Medicine, told Today.com.

[The Last of Us, cordyceps, fungus, zombie, TikTok, Spore n' Sprout, Uncle Ben's, grow, eat ]

Although a spread of the fungus in humans is unlikely, it could be extremely destructive(Image: HBO)

He said: The idea of having a catastrophic fungal outbreak is relatively unlikely, but would be significantly more scary than COVID because COVID spreads through a relatively small space, whereas spores can travel miles.

Cordyceps can infect insects and spiders, with the real fungal parasite creating zombie ants.

It grows through the insect's body, draining it of nutrients and hijacking its mind, experts say.

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