Toxic wild mushrooms linked to 3 deaths as state officials issue urgent warning
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Consumption of death mushrooms, often mistaken for safe, edible imitations, has been linked to a deadly outbreak in California.
The mushrooms, officially called Amanita phalloides, contain toxins that can cause amatoxin poisoning, which can lead to serious illness or even death.
In the California cases, the poisonings caused severe liver damage in both children and adults, resulting in three deaths, three liver transplants and 35 hospitalizations as of January 6, according to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH).
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The CDPH warned that the outbreak was linked to the consumption of “wild-picked mushrooms” and urged Californians not to pick or eat wild mushrooms at this time.
Officials stated in a report that death mushrooms “remain poisonous even after cooking, boiling, freezing, or drying.”
Eating death mushrooms (not pictured) has been linked to a deadly outbreak in California. (iStock)
The California Poison Control System (CPCS) identified cases throughout Northern California and the Central Coast, spanning regions from Sonoma to San Luis Obispo between November 18 and January 6.
The affected people were between 19 months and 67 years old. Authorities blamed recent rains for the overgrowth of the toxic fungus.
Symptoms of amatoxin poisoning.
Common symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and dehydration, which can occur six to 24 hours after ingesting the poisonous mushroom, the CDPH report stated.
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“You may not have symptoms for the first five or six hours, and that’s simply due to the nature of the breakdown of the toxin in the stomach. Then you have nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea,” Dr. Lauren Shawn, MD, a board-certified emergency physician and medical toxicologist at Northwell Health Phelps Hospital in Sleepy Hollow, New York, told News Digital.
“Due to the damage caused by the death fungus, the liver can no longer function properly.”
Although symptoms may resolve within a day, serious or even fatal liver damage can still occur two to four days later.
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Once the initial stomach problems go away, the toxin continues to invade the liver cells and prevent them from producing RNA (ribonucleic acid), which the body needs to make healing and protective proteins.
“It takes some time for the toxin to actually damage the cell, which is why people don’t develop liver failure until a day or two later,” Shawn said.
In the California cases, death mushroom poisonings (not pictured) caused severe liver damage in both children and adults, resulting in three deaths, three liver transplants, and 35 hospitalizations. (iStock)
Amatoxin “damages many types of cells in the human body, but especially liver cells,” Dr. Adam Berman, associate chair of emergency medicine and medical toxicologist at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New York, told News Digital.
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“Due to the damage caused by the death fungus, the liver can no longer function properly. Without a functional liver, the body begins to fail and can die quickly,” the doctor warned.
Because there is no widely available rapid test to detect amatoxin poisoning, doctors rely on exposure history, symptoms and liver tests, experts say.
When to seek medical attention
Anyone who has consumed this type of mushroom should consult their primary care doctor or a liver specialist to monitor liver failure, doctors recommend.
The CDPH warned that the outbreak was linked to the consumption of “wild-picked mushrooms” and urged Californians not to pick or eat wild mushrooms at this time. (iStock)
“Ideally, if you have leftover mushrooms, bring them in or take pictures of them, because hopefully a poison control center can call a mycologist and actually identify what mushroom it is,” Shawn advised.
Toxicologists agree with the California health agency’s warning to avoid foraging for wild mushrooms.
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“The death cap fungus can appear to the untrained eye like many common, non-toxic mushrooms, which often makes it difficult to detect and avoid,” Berman told News Digital. “Because of this, it is best not to forage for wild mushrooms to eat, especially in areas where the death mushroom commonly grows.”
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Shawn agreed that it’s not worth the risk either.
“There’s a saying, ‘There are old mushroom pickers, there are bold old mushroom pickers, but there are no bold old mushroom pickers,'” he told News Digital. “It’s risky and you really have to know what you’re doing.”
Anyone who has consumed this type of mushroom should consult their primary care doctor or a liver specialist to monitor liver failure, doctors recommend. (iStock)
The CDPH recommends that people buy mushrooms from trusted grocery stores and retailers, use caution when purchasing from street vendors, and keep children and pets away from wild mushrooms.
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Those in the area who have ingested a death mushroom should contact the CPCS hotline at 1-800-222-1222 and seek medical attention immediately, health officials advised.
Amy McGorry is a contributing health writer for News Digital. Follow her on Twitter @amymcgorry.