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+--- Thread: Zombie plague hits new cicadas: Controlled by fungus even after body parts drop off (/thread-8910.html)
Zombie plague hits new cicadas: Controlled by fungus even after body parts drop off - C C - Aug 5, 2020
https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/08/04/new-zombie-cicadas-controlled-by-parasite-even-as-body-parts-drop-off/
INTRO: Researchers have discovered a new population of cicadas infected by a parasitic fungus that controls their mind and forces them to spread the disease to other insects even as their own bodies fall apart. The “zombie cicadas” are under the influence of Massospora, a psychedelic fungus which contains chemicals such as those found in hallucinogenic mushrooms, according to a new study published by PLOS Pathogens.
After infecting its host, the fungus results in “a disturbing display of B-horror movie proportions,” West Virginia University said in a press release. First Massospora spores eat away at the cicada’s genitals, butt and abdomen. They are then replaced with fungal spores used to transmit the fungus to other cicadas. From there, this new, fungal abdomen will slowly “wear away like an eraser on a pencil,” said study co-author Brian Lovett in the release.
The infected cicadas, which were found in West Virginia by university researchers in June, are the third cicada population discovered to have been infected by Massospora, according to study co-author Matthew Kasson. Because cicadas have either a 13- or 17-year lifecycle and live underground until they emerge, studying how Massospora infects these species can be very difficult.
While almost a third, if not more, of their bodies are replaced with fungal tissue, infected cicadas continue to move around oblivious of their sickness. This is because the fungus manipulates the insects’ behavior to keep the host alive rather than killing them to maximize spore dispersal... (MORE) .... 2nd video (Frank Taylor): https://youtu.be/dSIsS7aPlEw