An infected ant may end up clinging to a support, in a position favorable to the development of the parasitic fungus. The show earned these insects the nickname of zombie ants. But how does the parasite influence the body of its host?
A team presented by Penn State examined three-dimensional ants infected with fungi from the Ophiocordyceps group. Fungal cells occupied the body extensively and surrounded or penetrated muscle fibers. In the samples studied, however, they did not invade the brain.
This result complicates the easy image of a driver installed in the head. The researchers propose that the action passes through the periphery of the body, while leaving mechanisms to be elucidated. The phenomenon is real, but the fiction scenario that often accompanies it is not its explanation: it is a specialized parasitic relationship, studied in these ants.
What we know
Anatomical result and interpretation of the researchers; no complete mechanism supposedly solved, nor transposition to the human.
To go to the source
References consulted on September 21, 2026. Linked pages may be in another language.
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