The recently released Resident Evil 4 Remake has captivated both old and new fans with its stunning graphics and the return of the beloved character, Leon Kennedy. In the game, players are introduced or reintroduced to the Las Plagas parasite, which causes its hosts to experience hallucinations, become violent, and even gain physical mutations. While this may seem like pure fiction, there are real-life parasites that can control their hosts’ actions through some degree of mind control. From a fungus that creates zombie-ants to a parasite that makes grasshoppers commit suicide, here are five such parasites that are just as intriguing as Resident Evil 4’s Las Plagas.
5 Parasites like Las Plagas of Resident Evil 4
1. The Last of Us Fungal Parasite
The famous video game The Last of Us features fungus zombies that were inspired by a real fungus called Ophiocordyceps unilateralis. The fungus invades the host’s body and grows inside, eventually taking over and controlling the host’s behavior. This fungus spore grows on ants and influences them to attach themselves to a leaf to die, after which the spores continue to spread through the jungle, infecting more insects.
2. Tom and Jerry Parasite
Toxoplasma gondii is a parasite that can infect cats, mice, and even humans. This parasite spreads through the consumption of contaminated meat and exposure to infected cat feces. Toxoplasma gondii causes behavioral changes in its host by decreasing its fear response and increasing risk-taking behaviors. In mice, infected individuals no longer recognize danger and instead move towards it in order to be eaten by a stronger predator (in this case a cat), thereby spreading the parasite to a bigger host and continuing its cycle of spreading.
3. Rainbow Death
The Leucochloridium paradoxum is a flatworm parasite that infects snails. This parasite alters the appearance of the snail, making it look like a colorful, lively caterpillar. Birds are attracted to the snail and will eat the infected snails, thereby continuing the parasite’s life cycle.
4. Berry Bum Bite
The Myrmeconema neotropicum is an interesting and rather unusual parasite. This parasite infects Cephalotes atratus ants and alters the appearance of an ant to look like a red berry. This is because these ants’ gaster (or their butts) already looks like a berry. The infected ants will then move sluggishly and point their gasters toward the sky making it appealing to fruit-eating birds.
5. Suicide Parasite
The Spinochordodes tellinii is a strange parasite that causes its host to jump towards a body of water to drown itself. This parasite releases biochemicals that infect the host’s central nervous system, thereby controlling the behavior of the host. Once in the water, the parasite reproduces and infects unsuspecting insects that drink the water.
