The cordyceps infection in The Last of Us is extremely fascinating. The creators of this world go to great lengths to detail modes of transport and causes of infection. One bite from an infected person is enough to seal your fate. Ellie’s immunity, on the other hand, ruins everything that has been established about the contagion as she is the only known person who never turns around after being bitten. Although Ellie is immune to the fungus, that doesn’t mean her body doesn’t contain any traces of cordyceps. Ellie gets herself out of a horrible situation during the winter chapter of the story by implying that she can infect people, but is that really the case?
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Can Ellie infect people in The Last of Us?
Although Ellie could get around the fact that she can infect other people with the cordyceps infection, that’s probably not true. The events of the game’s climax show that his body’s cordyceps have mutated to not take over the host, rendering him essentially harmless. Presumably the same is true for HBO. The last of us.
When David decides to make her another ill-fated meal for his crew, Ellie reveals her bite to keep herself from being eaten, stating that she is infected. This causes them to hesitate long enough for her to gain the upper hand and run away. She also bites David in the fight, though we can never see if that ultimately turns her on, as he dies shortly after that fight.
Picture via HBO
However, Ellie clarifies during the events of The Last of Us Part II that she cannot infect other people in any way during a conversation with Dina in Seattle. His reasons for knowing this are revealed in his diary. There is an entry detailing Ellie freaking out because she infects a girl named Cas after a kiss, but Cas never turns into a monster, indicating that her saliva is not a means of contamination.
However, David’s hesitation in the face of his revelation shows how uncertain the modes of transmission are in this world. The cordyceps fungus grows throughout the brain, and the show made it particularly clear that it is also part of the host’s body. Ellie, on the other hand, has been hurt enough to prove she’s not under his skin. It is unlikely to cause infection, even if consumed, although the idea is disgusting.
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Ellie’s immunity remains a huge mystery both in-game and on the show, in part because of what Joel does to keep her an enigma. Perhaps the inevitable The Last of Us Part III will dive deeper, but for now it’s pretty much established that Ellie isn’t capable of infecting others.
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