Cordyceps, the real zombievirus

Cordyceps is a parasitic fungi that targets arthropods, mainly insects. There are 400 known species, which only a few have been studied. Ophiocordyceps unilateralis is the one we will focus on. Like most other cordyceps types this fungi takes control over the hosts body. O. Unilateralis targets ants of the species Camponotus leonardi that lives in the rainforests of Africa, South America and Asia.

The fungi penetrates the ants exoskeleton, bypassing host defenses and then progressively takes control of the victims brain. As it enters the ants body it starts to consume less vital tissue of the ants body which causes it to spread rapidly. How it manipulates the host is still unknown but scientist believe it uses enzymes.
After the fungi seizes full control of the host it forces it to climb up the stem of plants, about 25 cm above the unknowing ant colony. It then uses the hosts mandibles to grab onto a leaf, then it kills the host.
Then its fruiting bodies starts growing out of the back of the dead ants head, finally rupturing and releasing spores upon the doomed colony below. This process takes from 4 up to 10 days. This phenomenon is commonly referred to as zombie ants.
But the healthy ants aren't completely helpless as they have learned to recognize an infected ant, as they carry them away from the colony whenever one is spotted.
In the popular post apocalyptic video game The Last Of Us the zombie virus is a mutated version of cordyceps, but there is no need to worry as the chance of it mutating into being able to infect humans is highly unlikely.
 - Erik & Leo