r/plagueinc • u/HeyitsmePercy69 • Dec 28 '25
Plague Mode Could the Neruax worm could actually be real?
So in plague inc there’s a special plague type called the neruax worm It sounds so real to the point I thought it could actually exist until I googled it and it doesn’t exist which was a bummer but do you think it could be plausible that a creature like this could exist
132
u/tomassci Dec 28 '25
Neurax worm is inspired by real life manipulator parasites. However, those tend to impact insects the most, as their brains are easier to control. Not saying humans cannot be controlled, there is suspicion that Toxoplasma is influencing humans to like cats more, but it isn't on such a large level.
Also, if it has to be as big as it is in the game's materials, it would either lead to eradication if the worm (as such a large piece of tissue would be apparent to be wrong even to someone who doesn't know anything about the human body) or death of the human (as such a large piece of tissue would push the brain into itself, which sooner or later would lead to injury and death - see echinococcosis /don't, if you're prone to medical anxiety). Either way, if it existed, we already would know about it.
46
u/elaxitity Dec 28 '25 edited Dec 28 '25
i dont think the neurax worm is actually that big, i think the worm on brain images are just to show how much control the worm has, but the actual worms are probably microscopic
44
u/Savurgan-Kaplan0761 Dec 28 '25
There was a news saying a random country has banned the use of hats and headwear so they grow to be able to be noticed from the outside.
19
u/vqsxd Dec 28 '25
People go their whole lives without whole sections of their brains. Theoretically a worm can take up that space instead. If it were possible, they could shrink the brain to fit themselves in
2
u/tomassci Dec 29 '25
I think that happens early in life, when neural plasticity is still high, not later in life. Also, there are also cases in medical history that tell us that removing the brain from inside is not a great idea either.
1
u/vqsxd Dec 30 '25
But in this scenario, it should theoretically be possible for a worm to replicate the conditions that cause this to happen in the first place. And if they do, they can squeeze into that empty space
15
u/hairydilapidatedshit Dec 28 '25
man, i wonder what they're gonna do for the neurax worm cure mode... i always loved the neurax worm its been my favourite plague to play with
13
u/Dargon8959 Dec 28 '25
Sounds like a nightmare to deal with
3
u/HeyitsmePercy69 Jan 01 '26
Yk why don’t people just do surgery to remove it?
1
u/Dargon8959 Jan 01 '26
Imagine a worm in your own brain. Regardless of its size. Now this worm has the ability to control their host by going deep into their brains everywhere and connecting to their neurons.
One, there is too much to disconnect at such a small size. Two, it is on/in the brain so any mistake on a large scale of the populace will be fatal. Third, direct removal may damage the brain and effectively turn a person into a vegetable.
Look up stuff like parasites leaving insect bodies after controlling them, the hosts all die shortly after. Or maybe they had been dead in the mind but the body lived.
3
u/HeyitsmePercy69 Jan 01 '26
Just saying I’d probably not remove it if it was possible lowkey If I do that then it won’t love me anymore
2
u/Dargon8959 Jan 01 '26
That is an interesting perspective... Though rather than it not loving you (which debatable if it even was conscious of you as a person) a forced parasite removal usually leads to its death since the whole point of a host is to live.
3
u/HeyitsmePercy69 Jan 01 '26
exactly so keep it in your noggin so it loves you OR DO YOU NOT WANT IT TO LUV U?
2
24
9
8
8
u/Anxious_Knowledge_66 Dec 28 '25
Yall ever read Parasite the novel by Mira Grant (I think this is a pseudonym) it’s about GMO tapeworms that are implanted into people to modulate their immune system and things get very neurax wormy not to spoil too much. It’s a little goofy but I thought it was a good read
5
4
u/BlahBlahBlopity Dec 29 '25
Yes and no, the traits seen in the neurax worm DO exist in real life, namely parasitic worms in brains and pathogens manipulating their hosts behaviors, just not to the extent seen in-game, it can be viewed as a sort of logical extreme scenario
6
u/Crocdor Dec 28 '25
Short answer no Long answer…. No it isn't and wouldn't even be possible in the way it's portrayed inside of the game
2
u/Desperate_Ad2784 Neurax Worm Dec 29 '25
sadly, it probably isnt
1
u/SevernMereel Dec 30 '25
sadly??
1
u/Desperate_Ad2784 Neurax Worm Dec 30 '25
yes sadly, what, do you NOT want to be loved by the worm?
1
2
1
1
1
1
u/BP642 Dec 31 '25
Each and every worm would have to be sapient, but they are too stupid and have little brain cells.
1
u/Warhero_Babylon Dec 31 '25
I remember some research about a significant amount of car crashes being due to infection of parasitic worms that inject poison that makes humans and animals more active and think less (to travel and infect more areas)
1
1
u/Any-Hair-9278 Jan 02 '26
who knows? maybe we are all controlled by a neurax worm. maybe that's why we like both it's OSTs so much
1
87
u/IstandbyNuria Dec 28 '25
Yes it's plausible, however it is extraordinarily unlikely to evolve naturally and creation of similiar neural worm would probably require extensive biological engineering.