Fungus is finding 15 minutes of fame.
A variant Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, a real-life fungus, took a fictional star turn in 2023 as the culprit behind a civilization-threatening zombie pandemic in HBO’s blockbuster series, The Last of Us. Increasing infections with Candida auris—a fungus resistant to many antifungal medicines, often acquired in health care settings, and frequently fatal—have prompted the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to label that fungus a “serious global health threat.”1 Psilocybin, the psychoactive substance found in magic mushrooms, is gaining attention for its potential to treat depression and other psychiatric conditions.2 And now: Trichophyton indotineae. This dermatophyte is, almost literally, on steroids; experts have linked its emergence to inappropriate use of combination topical products containing antifungals and high-potency corticosteroids.3-5