Purple Parasitic Peril

Trapdoor spiders are arachnids, rushing from their constructions via a flap, to grab their prey. In Brazil's Atlantic rainforest, trapdoor spiders face a newly-discovered peril. These spiders can be parasitised by a purple Cordyceps fungus, coiling around their body. Eventually, it kills the spider (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/17/parasitic-fungus-that-infects-and-kills-spiders-discovered-in-brazil-aoe). The Cordyceps group includes the fungus that changes the behaviour of some ant species, facilitating the colonial spread of its infective spores. This routinely causes journalists, dealing with fungal infections, to write about the post-apocalyptic TV drama, The Last of Us. In the drama, a mind-altering fungus infects humans and wipes the species out. There is, however, no evidence that the trapdoor spider-infecting fungus, changes the behaviour of its host. Perhaps, The Last of Us infects the brains of journalists?