1 Dead, Many Sickened in California Mushroom Poisonings

A cluster of poisonings has been reported in people who foraged and ate wild mushrooms in California since last month. Twenty-one people have been poisoned, one fatally, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The state's Department of Public Health says the poisonings were likely caused by people accidentally ingesting Death Cap mushrooms or Amanita phalloides, the mushroom that kills more people around the globe than any other variety each year. The poisonings led to several people hospitalized in intensive care, severe liver damage in both adults and children, and at least one patient possibly needing a liver transplant, CBS News reports.

"Death cap mushrooms contain potentially deadly toxins that can lead to liver failure," Dr. Erica Pan, the department's director, said in a news release. "Because the death cap can easily be mistaken for edible safe mushrooms, we advise the public not to forage for wild mushrooms at all during this high-risk season." Death cap mushrooms thrive in the vicinity of live oak trees, and do best in damp conditions including the rainy season in fall and winter. They are easily mistaken for edible mushrooms, but there is no method of preparation that renders them safe to eat. Victims of death cap poisoning may initially experience nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain before apparently improving, only to then suffer "serious to fatal liver damage within 48 to 96 hours after eating the mushrooms," the department says.