Consumption of death cap mushrooms, which are often mistaken for safe and edible analogues, deadly outbreak In California.
Officially called Amanita muscaria, this mushroom contains toxins that can cause amatoxin poisoning. serious illness Or even death.
In the California cases, poisoning caused severe liver damage in both children and adults, resulting in three deaths, three people receiving liver transplants, and 35 hospitalizations as of January 6, according to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH).
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CDPH warned that the outbreak is linked to the consumption of “foraged wild mushrooms,” and urged Californians not to pick or eat them. wild mushrooms At the moment.
Officials said in the report that death cap mushrooms “remain toxic when cooked, boiled, frozen, or dried.”
The California Poison Control System (CPCS) identified cases across Northern California and the Central Coast, spanning areas from Sonoma to San Luis Obispo, between Nov. 18 and Jan. 6.
Those affected ranged from 19 months old to 67 years old. Authorities blamed recent rains for the toxic mushroom bloom.
Common symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and dehydration and can occur within six to 24 hours after ingesting poisonous mushrooms, the CDPH report said.
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“You may not have any symptoms for the first five or six hours, but that’s due to the way the toxins are broken down in your stomach. Then you get nausea. vomiting and diarrhea,” Dr. Lauren Schon, a board-certified emergency medicine physician and medical toxicologist at Northwell Health Phelps Hospital in Sleepy Hollow, New York, told Fox News Digital.
Symptoms may resolve within a day, but serious or fatal liver damage may still occur after 2 to 4 days.
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after the initials stomach problems Even when it subsides, the toxin continues to invade liver cells and prevents the body from producing RNA (ribonucleic acid), which is needed to make healing and protective proteins.
“It takes time for the toxins to actually damage cells, so liver failure doesn’t appear until a day or two later,” Sean said.
Amatoxin “damages many types of cells in the human body, but especially liver cells,” Dr. Adam Berman, associate director of emergency medicine and medical toxicologist at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New York, told Fox News Digital.
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“Due to the damage caused by the death cap mushroom, the liver can no longer function normally. Without a functioning liver, the body begins to malfunction and can quickly lead to death,” the doctor warned.
Experts say there are no widely available rapid tests to detect amatoxin poisoning, so clinicians rely on exposure history, symptoms and liver tests.
Be sure to follow up with anyone who has ingested this type of mushroom. primary care physician Doctors recommend a liver specialist to monitor liver failure.
“Ideally, if there are any remaining mushrooms, bring them in or take a photo. Hopefully the poison center will call a mycologist to determine what the mushrooms actually are,” Sean advised.
Toxicologists agree California Department of Health Warning This is to avoid collecting wild mushrooms.
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“Death cap mushrooms are often difficult to spot and avoid because they look like many common non-toxic mushrooms to the untrained eye,” Berman told FOX News Digital. “For this reason, it is best not to go searching for wild mushrooms for consumption, especially in areas where death cap mushrooms are common.”
Sean agreed it wasn’t worth the risk.
“There’s a saying, ‘There are old mushroom foragers and there are bold mushroom foragers,’ but there are no old and bold mushroom foragers,” she told Fox News Digital. “It’s a dangerous thing to do and you have to know what you’re doing.”
CDPH recommends that individuals purchase mushrooms from reputable grocery stores and retailers, use caution when purchasing mushrooms from street vendors, and keep mushrooms away from children. with pets Stay away from wild mushrooms.
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Health officials advised anyone who ingested death cap mushrooms in the area should contact the CPCS hotline at 1-800-222-1222 and seek immediate medical attention.
