Various parasitic fungi known as cordyceps are explored in Pretty Dead as a possible cause for Regina’s strange behavior.  Though common in jungle climates and used in Chinese medicine, they are rarely seen in Western culture.  The introduction for most has been the BBC series Planet Earth, wherein the strange fungi is briefly explored in the “Jungle” episode.  Below are links to information regarding research into the various cordyceps specie:

• Neurophilosophy blog – “Brainwashed by a Parasite”
• Huffington Post – “New Zombie-Creating Fungi Discovered”
• Cordyceps.us – Joe Spatafora’s website connected with Oregon State University researchers
• All Things Cordyceps blog – Bhutanese blog site dedicated to cordyceps
• Cordyceps sinesis blog – Daniel Winkler’s study of cordyceps usage in Tibet
• Mycological Society of America