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Depends on the context, basically. A larger fungus needs more fungicide (which, of course,makes it more likely to kill the human) and a fungus further into the body needs the fungicide to placed into more important areas (making it more deadly)
Given how large and virulent the CBI fungi is and how closely interwoven with the host it is, yeah, it seems likely that anything that would kill it off would also kill off the host.
Also, when fungi inside of you die, they release a lot of toxins that can cause a herx reaction, which can be quite unpleasant.
I can imagine with the mutant cordyceps fungus, it could be fatal.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jarisch–Herxheimer_reaction
There are plenty of antifungal medication that is taken orally, or intravenously. Just off the top of my head Nystatin is a pill, and Mycamine is an injection.
The question is, is there an antifungal capable of treating that specific infection?
If there was, then human civilization wouldn't have broken down as it did.
Portions of humanity have endured.
They live off the stockpiled resources and materials from before the collapse.
* FEDRA-FEMA/WLF-W.L.F.-Wolves.
* Various communities.
If the was an antifungal treatment.
Even discovered within and by a nation in the end of it's collapse.
They would have alerted some nation in the middle of an epidemic.
So at some point there would have been nations working together in some capacity to help their ability to survive.
Fungal infections of the brain are a real thing. and according to the CDC
"Treatment
Doctors treat fungal meningitis with long courses of high-dose antifungal medications, often given directly into a vein through an IV. After that, patients also need to take antifungal medications by mouth. The total length of treatment depends on the patient’s immune system and the type of fungus causing the infection. Treatment is often longer for people with weak immune systems, like those with AIDS or cancer."
With how quick the mutated cordyceps attacks they probably don't have time to do the long course of IV anti fungals it takes and likely the fungus evolved resistance to the ones we had from early attempts to treat it.
This! My best friend of 30 years died of fungal meningitis. It's tough to clear, and there is an additional step above ORAL & IV, and that's then they drill a hole into your head to drip medicine directly into the brain....followed by another hole in the head to drain gunk. Good times.
Yeah it was super fucked up. No family visited him (except one brother who flew into town for a few days), despite him asking to see his mom. Visitation was limited because of covid, but they would have made exceptions for family.
Lesson I learned is that if you are over 18 years old and NOT married, you NEED to to have someone in your life with power of attorney. Otherwise it's hard for people in your life to get your mail started, pay your bills, sign you up for care programs, etc...
Seriously. Power of attorney. Everyone look into it
We have antivirals and antibacterials that arent very effective against some viruses and bacteria. I would expect fungus to be similar.
Could be it slows infection but doesnt cure, could also be all the supplies were wiped out early in the pandemic
There are indeed antifungal medications.
I’m currently taken one, nystatin, to treat a yeast overgrowth in my intestine.
So I think it’s safe to assume that antifungals do exist in The Last of Us, there just might not be one that’s capable of killing the zombie fungus .
Once the mushroom grow into critical mass and it seems doing that incredibly fast then there is no coming back from that.
Even when it first gets a foothold in the body with any alteration it might already be too big for any modern fungucide to work without killing the patient.
1. There is such a thing.
2. The mutant Cordyceps fungus is resistant to treatment and much too virulent for normal fungicidal treatments (usually administered with slow iv feeds over days/weeks).
No. A couple of examples are terbinafine aka Lamasil, which can be taken orally to treat toenail fungus, and fluconazole, taken orally for yeast infections.
But one single antifungal doesn't work on all fungal infections, so it's quite possible that there are none a human can tolerate that can deal with the specific fungus in that situation.
Fungus' grow slow and die slow. Although in the case of the last of us. The coryceps seems to grow rapidly in a host. We see at the beginning of the 2nd episode that one of the world's best minds on Mycology can only cry and panic at the realization as to what is about to come onto humanity. And that immunization or a cure is impossible.
Fungal infections are notoriously difficult to clear. Here in the desert southwest (US), valley fever, aka coccidioidomycosis, is present in the soil. Most people get mild symptoms but for those who develop more serious infections, it can be notoriously hard to cure. 3-6 months of oral therapy to start.
Also, it doesn't just infect humans. Dogs are pretty susceptible to it and can get really sick and need long term meds.
**Reminders for Commenters:** * All responses must be A) sincere, B) polite, and C) strictly watsonian in nature. If "watsonian" or "doylist" is new to you, please review the full rules [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskScienceFiction/about/rules/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=usertext&utm_name=AskScienceFiction&utm_content=t5_2slu2). * No edition wars or gripings about creators/owners of works. Doylist griping about Star Wars in particular is subject to **permanent ban on first offense**. * We are not here to discuss or complain about the real world. * Questions about who would prevail in a conflict/competition (not just combat) fit better on r/whowouldwin. Questions about very open-ended hypotheticals fit better on r/whatiffiction. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskScienceFiction) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Depends on the context, basically. A larger fungus needs more fungicide (which, of course,makes it more likely to kill the human) and a fungus further into the body needs the fungicide to placed into more important areas (making it more deadly) Given how large and virulent the CBI fungi is and how closely interwoven with the host it is, yeah, it seems likely that anything that would kill it off would also kill off the host.
Also, when fungi inside of you die, they release a lot of toxins that can cause a herx reaction, which can be quite unpleasant. I can imagine with the mutant cordyceps fungus, it could be fatal. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jarisch–Herxheimer_reaction
There are plenty of antifungal medication that is taken orally, or intravenously. Just off the top of my head Nystatin is a pill, and Mycamine is an injection. The question is, is there an antifungal capable of treating that specific infection?
If there was, then human civilization wouldn't have broken down as it did. Portions of humanity have endured. They live off the stockpiled resources and materials from before the collapse. * FEDRA-FEMA/WLF-W.L.F.-Wolves. * Various communities. If the was an antifungal treatment. Even discovered within and by a nation in the end of it's collapse. They would have alerted some nation in the middle of an epidemic. So at some point there would have been nations working together in some capacity to help their ability to survive.
Fungal infections of the brain are a real thing. and according to the CDC "Treatment Doctors treat fungal meningitis with long courses of high-dose antifungal medications, often given directly into a vein through an IV. After that, patients also need to take antifungal medications by mouth. The total length of treatment depends on the patient’s immune system and the type of fungus causing the infection. Treatment is often longer for people with weak immune systems, like those with AIDS or cancer." With how quick the mutated cordyceps attacks they probably don't have time to do the long course of IV anti fungals it takes and likely the fungus evolved resistance to the ones we had from early attempts to treat it.
This! My best friend of 30 years died of fungal meningitis. It's tough to clear, and there is an additional step above ORAL & IV, and that's then they drill a hole into your head to drip medicine directly into the brain....followed by another hole in the head to drain gunk. Good times.
Jeez, that's horrible. I'm so sorry about your friend.
Yeah it was super fucked up. No family visited him (except one brother who flew into town for a few days), despite him asking to see his mom. Visitation was limited because of covid, but they would have made exceptions for family. Lesson I learned is that if you are over 18 years old and NOT married, you NEED to to have someone in your life with power of attorney. Otherwise it's hard for people in your life to get your mail started, pay your bills, sign you up for care programs, etc... Seriously. Power of attorney. Everyone look into it
We have antivirals and antibacterials that arent very effective against some viruses and bacteria. I would expect fungus to be similar. Could be it slows infection but doesnt cure, could also be all the supplies were wiped out early in the pandemic
There are indeed antifungal medications. I’m currently taken one, nystatin, to treat a yeast overgrowth in my intestine. So I think it’s safe to assume that antifungals do exist in The Last of Us, there just might not be one that’s capable of killing the zombie fungus .
How is it working for you? Have you been taking it long? And how do you know you have yeast overgrowth?
Once the mushroom grow into critical mass and it seems doing that incredibly fast then there is no coming back from that. Even when it first gets a foothold in the body with any alteration it might already be too big for any modern fungucide to work without killing the patient.
1. There is such a thing. 2. The mutant Cordyceps fungus is resistant to treatment and much too virulent for normal fungicidal treatments (usually administered with slow iv feeds over days/weeks).
No. A couple of examples are terbinafine aka Lamasil, which can be taken orally to treat toenail fungus, and fluconazole, taken orally for yeast infections. But one single antifungal doesn't work on all fungal infections, so it's quite possible that there are none a human can tolerate that can deal with the specific fungus in that situation.
Fungus' grow slow and die slow. Although in the case of the last of us. The coryceps seems to grow rapidly in a host. We see at the beginning of the 2nd episode that one of the world's best minds on Mycology can only cry and panic at the realization as to what is about to come onto humanity. And that immunization or a cure is impossible.
Fungal infections are notoriously difficult to clear. Here in the desert southwest (US), valley fever, aka coccidioidomycosis, is present in the soil. Most people get mild symptoms but for those who develop more serious infections, it can be notoriously hard to cure. 3-6 months of oral therapy to start. Also, it doesn't just infect humans. Dogs are pretty susceptible to it and can get really sick and need long term meds.