Some parasitoid funguses and viruses are changing the behavior of their victims. Those funguses are the parasites of ants and flies. And most of the viruses that are changing their host's behavior are living in insects. But there is at least one virus that can turn the infected mammal killer zombie that bites other people and animals. That thing is called the rabies virus. But let's start with the viruses and fungi that are modifying infected insects' behavior.
Zombifying viruses are straight from horror movies. Those viruses are modifying the behavior of their victims. The article that is linked below this text introduces how the nucleopolyhedroviruses (NPVs) make cotton bollworm caterpillars behave opposite to their nature. That virus makes those worms rise to the top of the hay. And that behavior removes the protection of those worms.
Those viruses are acting like zombie ant fungus. That takes control of the body of the ant. And then make the ant rise to the top of the grass. That behavior helps that fungus to spread. The remarkable thing is that the virus and fungus make the insects behave similarly.
The thing how those organisms change the behavior of the host similar way is causing an idea that there is the possibility that the virus turns cells to make similar chemical combinations that the zombie ant fungus is using to take control of the victim.
The most well-known behavior-changing virus is the Rabies virus. That well-known and frightening virus makes its victim. The infected person or animal will turn very aggressive.
And the infected animal or human bites. Other animals or humans help the virus to spread. The rabies virus can infect mammals including humans. The rabies virus causes inflammation in the brains and other neural tissue. And that thing is the thing that makes rabies so frightening.
The virus inflammation changes the behavior of the infected individual. Rabies is still a very frightening disease even if it is well known. It is suspicious that some of the werewolf cases are people who had rabies infection.
https://theconversation.com/zombie-ants-meet-the-parasitic-fungi-that-take-control-of-living-insects-118489
https://www.sciencealert.com/how-a-zombifying-virus-can-manipulate-caterpillars-into-killing-themselves
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/11/how-the-zombie-fungus-takes-over-ants-bodies-to-control-their-minds/545864/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabies
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabies_virus
https://writingsaboutmysteries.blogspot.com/
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