The Cordyceps ‘vaccine’ In The Last Of Us Is Bullcrap

The cordyceps ‘vaccine’ in the Last of Us is bullcrap

I know this is just a game and maybe the science and medical advancement in the game is different from the real world, but if we apply what we know in real life about infectious diseases and preventative medicine in real life, the Fireflies probably wouldn’t be able to make a ‘vaccine’ and would have killed Ellie and destroyed the possibility of a cure for nothing. Here’s why:

1. In the real world, we do not have vaccines for fungal infection. Firstly, because fungal infection are super rare and mostly only affect those with compromised immunity. Secondly, anti-fungal medications are usually very effective against fungal infection so the medical field was never pushed to develop a vaccine for any fungal infections. I’m not saying that developing a vaccine for fungal diseases is impossible, but right now we don’t have any successful fungal vaccine and I highly doubt that in a post-apocalyptic world, this ONE doctor with insufficient equipment would be able to make a vaccine out of Ellie’s sample.

2. A vaccine prevents someone from developing disease after contracting the pathogen, it has no effect on people who already contracted the fungus and developed disease. So it is not a ‘cure’.

3. To make a vaccine, you use a weakened version of the pathogen, or a similar pathogen that does not cause disease in your target species. If they want to make a vaccine for the cordyceps fungus, they could have easily used fungal sample from the infected and engineer a vaccine from it. They didn’t have to kill Ellie for it.

4. In the game, Ellie was unconscious before she entered the Fireflies hospital and remained unconscious throughout the entire time she was there. So, either all the tests and decisions happened in a very short time or they kept her under with anaesthetic drugs. But since Joel was there as well and he woke up to them telling him they are going to kill Ellie, I would say they made a decision to kill ellie in a very short time. The problem is, they only had her for such a short time and they obviously have not studied Ellie before they got her, how in the world could they possibly figure out what makes Ellie immune so quickly?!

5. In the game, they claimed that the reason Ellie is immune is because the fungus has mutated inside of her. But really, there is no way the doctor would know the fungus has mutated unless he got a sample of the fungus. In the game it looked like all they have was an MRI scan. Just using imaging is NOT sufficient to identify a mutation, you would need to look at the sample microscopically and DNA test it. If that doctor somehow got his hand on some of the fungal samples from Ellie and found a mutation, why would he need to cut her brain open? That make absolutely no sense?!

6. They can’t prove the reason that Ellie is immune due to a mutated fungus. To prove the theory, they would need to inoculate the mutated pathogen in a test subject (usually would start with a petri dish of target cells, and then a lab animal) and look for changes. They obviously haven’t done it so how can they be so sure about this and would bet the life of a teenage girl on it?

7. To make a cure, killing Ellie is the VERY LAST thing they should do. Hell, it shouldn’t even be on a list. If they want to make a cure, the VERY FIRST thing they should have done is take her blood and test her plasma. The plasma of our blood contains antibodies, the thing that fights off infections. If I’m the doctor/scientist, knowing Ellie is immune, her plasma is the first thing that I would look at. Because if someone is immune to a disease, that means their body has developed effective antibodies against said infection, and these antibodies will remain in their circulation for some time, and even if the level isn’t enough, upon reintroduction of the pathogen, her antibodies level would skyrocket. Using her plasma, they can potentially treat people after they have been exposed to the fungus. But yea, her plasma would be the cure so killing her is stupid.

8. In this vast population of humans, it is highly impossible that Ellie is the only one who is immune.

I know this is just a game but I’m way too emotionally invested in this. And the fact that they made it sounds like Abby’s father was going to develop a cure and that he is a saint, is absolute bullcrap. He was going to kill an innocent girl and the last hope for a cure for NOTHING. Joel did the right thing by saving her.

it’s me once again

old post lost traction so i’m starting a brand new one with updates

hello! i’m vincent, biracial + nonbinary, 19, and currently living with a manipulative, alcoholic mother. i am currently in therapy thanks to limited medicaid, but i need help.

i suffer from severe adhd, ptsd, major depression, severe anxiety, bipolar II, and i recently found out that i am autistic. i know what you’re probably thinking: “isn’t autism usually diagnosed in really early years?” yes, in the ideal situation with a healthy family. unfortunately, my parents never took my to doctors/therapists regularly (i’m getting my first physical at 19 years old soon), so i’m basically figuring myself out all on my own to my mom’s dismay.

i have, unfortunately, had and lost six jobs (including my most recent one, mcdonalds, where i was discriminated against + had a manager steal money from me for a short cash register and be transferred to another store. i never recieved my money back.) pandemic aside, i have been fired from every job (food service) due to my high anxiety and inability to blend in with coworkers/managers. any attempt at having a savings has failed due to me eventually losing whatever job i manage to get. currently. i work as a bitesquad driver. but un-fucking-fortunately i am an independent contractor with them and only make tips. my car isn’t made for long trips, considering my gas and brake systems are failing, and right now in florida there’s a heat wave going on and my ac doesn’t, and has never, worked properly.

my mom’s drinking has grown worse since i moved in with her at 16, and infinitely bad since the pandemic started. she’s drunk pretty much every night, and being around her forces me to say very little so i can avoid being kicked out. i have no extended family, my dad left at 16, and i have had no friends in my city for about five years now.

i’m currently forcing myself to take online classes to, hopefully, obtain an office specialist certificate to become a secretary. while i should be able to have financial aid, it won’t last me long and i’m currently unable to log into the social security website of florida to check my disability application becase, “my social security number cannot be found.” (i called them, and the dude on the phone quite literally told me he doesn’t know how to help, so my therapist is trying to help me out.)

i can’t tell my mom about any money i am receiving, because she has threatened multiple times that i’m going to spend my own money to pay her bills. while i do pay for internet right now, it’s $100 a month, and you can imagine how making that money based solely on tips from delivery orders is going. the hospital that offers my therapy has a low income housing program, and i’m trying to apply (be added to the wait list,) but unfortunately the pandemic is slowing that process to a near halt.

while i’m not expecting anything major, if you are able to spare even a few dollars, i would greatly appreciate it until i can figure out why the fuck i’m not able to check disability benefits + earn my certificate in college. if you’d like more information on my situation or any clarification, please message me!

i also do writing commissions (bnha mainly, will negotiate any other fandoms! i do NOT write child x adult ships, abusive relationships, or nsfw.) 1000 words is $10, and each 100 word increase beyond that is an additional $1. i post works to archive of our own, unless requested otherwise.

thank you for reading, and even if you’re unable to donate, PLEASE share this post. liking it and leaving it will not help it be spread around. here are any links you may want to check out.

my archive of our own account

paypal

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mc-moss

4 years ago

Me at age 8: I might not have any friends, but I can make imaginary friends with rich social lives to fill that hole. I bet when I’m older I’ll grow out of this.

Me at age 20: I need to make another OC to try and simulate human connection or else I’m gonna lose my mind.

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mc-moss

4 years ago

hi everybody ill be doing a charity commission!! donate to any of the charities in this carrd and send me proof first over dms! ill be only doing simple chibis! please rb thank you!! ❤️ will draw furries/humanoids (including sonic ocs)

list of charities!! here! currently 0/3 slots

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mc-moss

4 years ago

Imagine all of your OCs trying to have a civilized dinner together

Tags

I CANT ive been creating characters since i havce a memory holy shit

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mc-moss

4 years ago

if you don’t know the difference between a hare and a rabbit you’ve never gazed into the cold wild eyes of a hare and known that if it could speak it would speak backwards