June 24, 2026
Purr-anormal outbreak vibes
A deadly fungus that can infect cats and people is spreading
Cat fungus panic goes global as commenters swing from doomsday to dark jokes
TLDR: A dangerous fungus spreading in South America can infect cats, people, and even vets, and experts fear it could eventually reach the U.S. Commenters split between joking about **The Last of Us**, demanding extreme containment, and insisting the threat is being overhyped.
The science story is scary enough on its own: a deadly fungus spreading through cats and people has already infected more than 11,000 humans in South America, killed thousands of cats, and experts say it may be only a matter of time before it shows up in the United States. This isn’t just a gross pet illness either — infected cats can develop awful skin sores, and humans can get painful ulcers too. The real nightmare fuel? One family in the U.K. reportedly developed the disease three years after moving from Brazil, and even a vet treating the cat got infected.
But the comments? Absolute chaos. One camp instantly went full apocalypse, with users comparing it to The Last of Us — thankfully, minus the zombie mushrooms. Another commenter dramatically demanded lockdowns, a wall, vaccines, and even Starship acceleration, because “a world without cats is not a world at all.” That was the mood: half public health panic, half cat-parent melodrama.
Then came the pushback. Some tried to cool everyone down, arguing this is mainly dangerous for people with weakened immune systems and that cats don’t exactly go around launching random attacks. Others zoomed straight past the epidemiology and into pure pet-owner survival mode, trading practical advice on how to medicate a furious cat without losing blood. In other words: the article says emerging fungal threat; the internet hears pandemic sequel starring cats and starts fighting in the comments immediately.
Key Points
- •*Sporothrix brasiliensis* has caused a large outbreak in South America since emerging in Brazil in the 1990s, infecting more than 11,000 people, at least 200 dogs, and thousands of cats.
- •CDC adviser Shawn Lockhart warned at the ASM Microbe meeting that it is likely only a matter of time before the fungus reaches the United States.
- •In cats, the infection causes skin ulcers, nodules and swollen lymph glands and can become fatal without treatment; in humans, it causes painful skin ulcers and can be severe in immunocompromised people.
- •The fungus has spread from Brazil to Paraguay, Chile, Argentina and Uruguay, showing continued regional expansion.
- •Unlike other dimorphic fungi, *Sporothrix brasiliensis* can spread in its yeast form, a characteristic highlighted in the article as a possible factor in its transmissibility.