Six ‘zombie fungi’ discovered in Mexico, one named after Guillermo del Toro

​Guadalajara, Mexico, Aug 14 (EFE).- Researchers in Mexico discovered six types of “zombie fungi” capable of infecting ants and manipulating their behavior until they die; one was named in honor of Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro and his fascination with monstrous creatures.

​César Ballesteros, a scientist at the University of Guadalajara, documented in the tropical forests of Jalisco the behavior of six species of fungi known as “entomopathogens,” which infect ants and spiders and take control of their behavior for nearly a year.

​“When it enters the ant’s body, it begins to produce a substance, specialized metabolites, that interact with the ants’ nervous system and alter their behavior, causing the fungus to make them walk erratically,” Ballesteros explained to EFE.

​By taking control of the ant’s decisions, the fungus forces it to go to places that experts call “cemeteries,” areas with light and humidity conditions conducive to infecting other insects and using the ant’s skeleton to ensure its own growth.

​“These are a kind of graveyard where ant carcasses accumulate, and there the ant makes its final movement: clinging with its mandibles and legs to the substrate, which consists of the bark of certain trees, leaves, or the undersides of rocks. Then the ant dies, and the fungus begins to develop,” he explained.

​This natural process has been taking place for hundreds of years and is how cordyceps fungi ensure their survival and reproduction, he added.

​The beauty inherent in this process led Ballesteros to name one of the fungal species “Ophiocordyceps deltoroi” in honor of Del Toro.

​“Because he’s from Jalisco, he graduated from the University of Guadalajara, and given all the work he’s done in film exploring horror and fantasy, what better way to honor him than by dedicating a species of fungus to him that science refers to as a ‘zombie’? Plus, it resembles the characters he’s created throughout his career,” the researcher explained.

​The life cycle of this type of parasitic “zombie” fungus is so unique and fascinating that the story behind the video game and subsequent TV series “The Last of Us” is based on it, he noted.

​This discovery represents a milestone for Mexican science, as Ballesteros is the first to identify this species of the fungal kingdom in Mexico.

​“There are very few specialized researchers. These are the first species described for Mexico; there was only one, called ‘Cordyceps mexicana,’ which attacks butterflies. It was the only one described for Mexico, and now we’re presenting this study, which describes six species exclusive to Mexico,” he said.

​In addition to their ecological importance, these fungi could be studied to produce medicines for human benefit.

​“Some of these fungi produce substances that can be used as medicines, for example, to counteract the effects of cancer, tuberculosis, multiple sclerosis, and other diseases. Much research remains to be done for the benefit of humankind,” he concluded. EFE

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