Cordyceps
| Cordyceps | |
|---|---|
| |
| Cordyceps militaris | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Sordariomycetes |
| Order: | Hypocreales |
| Family: | Cordycipitaceae |
| Genus: | Cordyceps Fr. (1818) |
| Type species | |
| Cordyceps militaris (L.) Fr. (1818)
| |
| Synonyms | |
|
List
| |
Cordyceps /ˈkɔːrdɪsɛps/ is a genus of ascomycete fungi (sac fungi) that includes over 260 species worldwide, many of which are parasitic. Diverse variants of cordyceps have had more than 1,500 years of use in Chinese medicine.[1] Most Cordyceps species are endoparasitoids, parasitic mainly on insects and other arthropods (they are thus entomopathogenic fungi); a few are parasitic on other fungi.[2]
The generic name Cordyceps is derived from the ancient Greek κορδύλη kordýlē, meaning "club", and the Latin -ceps, derived from Latin caput, meaning "head".[3] The genus has a worldwide distribution, with most of the known species[4] being from Asia.
Taxonomy
[edit]There are two recognized subgenera:[5]
Cordyceps sensu stricto are the teleomorphs of several genera of anamorphic, entomopathogenic fungi such as Beauveria (Cordyceps bassiana), Septofusidium, and Lecanicillium.[8]
Splits
[edit]Cordyceps subgen. Epichloe was at one time a subgenus, but is now regarded as a separate genus, Epichloë.[5]
Cordyceps subgen. Ophiocordyceps was at one time a subgenus defined by morphology. Nuclear DNA sampling done in 2007 shows that members, including "C. sinensis" and "C. unilateralis", as well as some others not placed in the subgenus, were distantly related to most of the remainder of species then placed in Cordyceps (e.g. the type species C. militaris). As a result, it became its own genus, absorbing new members.[8][9]
The 2007 study also peeled off Metacordyceps (anamorph Metarhizium, Pochonia) and Elaphocordyceps. A number of species remain unclearly assigned and provisionally retained in Cordyceps sensu lato.[8]
Selected species
[edit]
There are over 260 species recognised in the genus Cordyceps including the following species:[10]
Anamorphic genera
[edit]Isaria is a genus name that has been applied to many anamorphs of Cordyceps species. This genus itself is treated as a synonym of Cordyceps in Species Fungorum following the "one fungus one name" change,[11] but many species names with Isaria are still preferred by Species Fungorum over the synonyms in other genera (e.g. Isaria sinclarii is preferred over Cordyceps sinclairii).[12] To add to the complexity, Isaria is a conserved name with a conserved type.[11] What remains under Isaria as of 2016 remains polyphyletic and can be divided into three main clades.[13]
Other important anamorphic genera closely allied to Cordyceps sensu stricto include Evlachovaea, Lecanicillium and Beauveria. Dai et al. (2016) concludes their article on the phylogeny of Isaria with the following commentary on future nomenclature under "one fungus one name" (original in Chinese):
Most species of the genus Isaria have been proven to be the anamorphic stage of Cordyceps, such as Isaria tenuipes, which is the anamorphic stage of Cordyceps takaomontana. The taxonomic system of Isaria and its close relatives, such as Mariannaea pruinosa Liang and Microhilum oncoperae Yip & Rath, may be replaced by a unified holomorph nomenclature. As Humber et al. (2013) stated when describing the diversity of the Evlachovaea Borisov & Tarasov group: undoubtedly, Evlachovaea is the anamorphic stage of Cordyceps sensu stricto. Since no anamorphic name within Cordyceps sensu stricto can replace the name Cordyceps s. s., it can be anticipated that this group will be divided into two or even more genera. Conversely, important anamorphic genera such as Lecanicillium, Isaria, and even Beauveria may be replaced. Therefore, under the new International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants, discussing the anamorphic attribution of species is less important than considering the corresponding teleomorphic stage of Cordyceps and its phylogenetic position. Currently, scholars are reconsidering the systematic classification of the Cordycipitaceae family and the genus Cordyceps (personal communication).[13]
Biology
[edit]When Cordyceps attacks a host, the mycelium invades and eventually replaces the host tissue, while the elongated fruit body (ascocarp) may be cylindrical, branched, or of complex shape. The ascocarp bears many small, flask-shaped perithecia containing asci. These, in turn, contain thread-like ascospores, which usually break into fragments and are presumably infective.[14]
Research
[edit]
Polysaccharide components and the nucleoside cordycepin isolated from C. militaris are under basic research, but more advanced clinical research has been limited and too low in quality to identify any therapeutic potential of cordyceps components.[15]
Uses
[edit]Cordyceps sensu lato (which now includes Ophiocordyceps and many other genera holding species originally in this genus) has long been used in traditional Chinese medicine in the belief it can be used to treat diseases.[16][17] There is no strong scientific evidence for such uses.[15]
Cultural representations
[edit]The video game series The Last of Us (2013–present) and its television adaptation present Cordyceps as a deadly threat to the human race, its parasitism powerful enough to result in global calamity.[18][19] The result is a zombie apocalypse and the collapse of human civilization. Scientific American notes that some species in the genus "are indeed body snatchers–they have been making real zombies for millions of years", though of ants or tarantulas, not of humans.[18] The Last of Us proceeds from the premise that a new species of Cordyceps manages to jump the species barrier, from nonhuman to human, as diseases like influenza and viruses like Ebola and COVID-19 have done. Its human hosts initially become violent "infected" beings, before turning into blind zombie "clickers", complete with fungal "fruiting bodies sprouting from their faces".[18] In an additional detail that reflects Cordyceps biology, "clickers" then seek out a dark place in which to die and release the fungal spores, enabling the parasite to complete its life cycle.[18] Scientific American comments that by combining a plausible mechanism with effective artistic design, the series gains "both scientific rigor and beauty".[18]
In similar vein, Cordyceps causes a pandemic that wipes out most of humanity in Mike Carey's 2014 postapocalyptic novel The Girl with All the Gifts and its 2016 film adaptation.[20] In this case, an infected person becomes a "hungry", a zombie thirsting for blood. In the fiction, Dr. Caldwell explains that the human-infecting fungus is a mutated form of Ophiocordyceps unilateralis (a group of species now split off from Cordyceps) which alters the behaviour of infected insects. The children of infected mothers, however, become "hybrids" with antibodies protecting them against the fungus.[20]
Gallery
[edit]-
Cordyceps beginning its fruiting growth from a wasp -
Cordyceps militaris -
Cordyceps militaris -
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Buenz, E. J.; B. A. Bauer; Osmundson, T. W.; Motley, T. J. (2005). "The traditional Chinese medicine Cordyceps sinensis and its effects on apoptotic homeostasis". Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 96 (1–2): 19–29. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2004.09.029. PMID 15588646.
- ^ Nikoh, N. (April 2000). "Interkingdom host jumping underground: phylogenetic analysis of entomoparasitic fungus of the genus cordyceps". Molecular Biology and Evolution. 17 (4): 629–638. doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.molbev.a026341. PMID 10742053.
- ^ "Cordyceps". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- ^ Sung, Gi-Ho; Nigel L. Hywel-Jones; Jae-Mo Sung; J. Jennifer Luangsa-ard; Bhushan Shrestha; Joseph W. Spatafora (2007). "Phylogenetic classification of Cordyceps and the clavicipitaceous fungi". Studies in Mycology. 57 (1): 5–59. doi:10.3114/sim.2007.57.01. PMC 2104736. PMID 18490993.
- ^ a b "Cordyceps". Index Fungorum. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
- ^ Elias Magnus Fries, Observ. mycol. (Havniae) 2: 316 (cancellans) (1818)
- ^ Edmond Tulasne & Charles Tulasne, Select. fung. carpol. (Paris) 3: 20 (1865)
- ^ a b c Sung, GH; Hywel-Jones, NL; Sung, JM; Luangsa-Ard, JJ; Shrestha, B; Spatafora, JW (2007). "Phylogenetic classification of Cordyceps and the clavicipitaceous fungi". Studies in Mycology. 57: 5–59. doi:10.3114/sim.2007.57.01. PMC 2104736. PMID 18490993.
- ^ Holliday, John; Cleaver, Matt (2008). "Medicinal Value of the Caterpillar Fungi Species of the Genus Cordyceps (Fr.) Link (Ascomycetes). A Review" (PDF). International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms. 10 (3). New York: Begell House: 219–234. doi:10.1615/IntJMedMushr.v10.i3.30. ISSN 1521-9437. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 February 2012. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
- ^ "Index Fungorum - Search Page". www.indexfungorum.org. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
- ^ a b "Index Fungorum - Names Record #8636 Isaria Pers., Neues Mag. Bot. 1: 121 (1794)". www.indexfungorum.org.
- ^ "Species Fungorum - GSD Species #254719 Isaria sinclairii (Berk.) Lloyd, Mycol. Writ. (Cincinnati) 7(Letter 68): 1179 (1923)". www.speciesfungorum.org.
- ^ a b Dai YD, Yu H, Zeng WB, Yang JY, He L (22 February 2016). "多基因联合分析棒束孢属Isaria（Ascomycota, Cordycipitaceae）系统发育关系" [Multilocus phylogenetic analyses of the genus Isaria (Ascomycota, Cordycipitaceae)]. 菌物学报 Mycosystema (in Chinese). 35 (2): 147–160. doi:10.13346/j.mycosystema.140292. ISSN 1672-6472.
- ^ Shrestha, Bhushan; Han, Sang-Kuk; Sung, Jae-Mo; Sung, Gi-Ho (2012). "Fruiting Body Formation of Cordyceps militaris from Multi-Ascospore Isolates and Their Single Ascospore Progeny Strains". Mycobiology. 40 (2): 100–106. doi:10.5941/MYCO.2012.40.2.100. ISSN 1229-8093. PMC 3408298. PMID 22870051.
- ^ a b "Cordyceps". Drugs.com. 12 July 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
- ^ "Chinese Medicine Specimen Database". libproject.hkbu.edu.hk. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
- ^ "中国广义虫草种类及其驯化栽培研究进展" [Cordyceps Sensu Lato and Their Domestication and Cultivation in China]. 食用菌学报 (in Chinese). 30 (05). 15 October 2023. doi:10.16488/j.cnki.1005-9873.2023.05.012. ISSN 1005-9873.
- ^ a b c d e Hill, Kyle (25 June 2013). "The Fungus that Reduced Humanity to The Last of Us". Scientific American. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
- ^ D'Addario, Daniel (10 January 2023). "'The Last of Us,' From 'Chernobyl's' Craig Mazin, Is a Promising, Moving Zombie Saga: TV Review". Variety. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
- ^ a b Bachman, Mara (12 April 2020). "The Girl With All The Gifts: Fungal Infection & Hungries Explained". ScreenRant. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
| Authority control databases: National |
|---|
