Death from mushroom poisoning sparks warning against foraging in California
Two patients, including a child, may also need liver transplants after consuming toxic mushrooms.
California officials have urged people against foraging wild mushrooms after a spike in poisoning cases has left at least one person dead.
Listen to this article
Over the past couple of weeks, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) said 21 people had been treated by doctors after experiencing life-threatening conditions, including acute liver injury and liver failure, from consuming toxic mushrooms, including the death cap variety.
Several of these patients were admitted into intensive care units, with an adult and a child potentially needing a liver transplant. To date, there has been one confirmed adult death.
The CDPH said the increased in amatoxin poisoning between mid-November and early December had been linked to the consumption of foraged wild mushrooms where toxic varieties had been mistaken for edible ones.
Now, it has advised against all wild mushroom foraging, adding that rain fall in autumn and winter months create the ideal conditions for the growth of death cap mushrooms.
Read more: Soaring illegal meat imports fuelling food poisoning spike, says horsemeat scandal expert
Read more: Man, 76, to appear in court over summer camp 'poisoning'
It further warned that death cap mushrooms are indistinguishable by taste from varieties that are safe to consume and their toxins are not removed by boiling, cooking or drying the mushrooms before consumption.
The CDPH also said there had been particular clusters of poisoning in the Monterey and the San Francisco Bay areas but advised against wild mushroom foraging throughout the whole state.
In a statement, Erica Pan, the director of the CDPH, said: “Death cap mushrooms contain potentially deadly toxins that can lead to liver failure. 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."
Initial symptoms after consuming a toxic mushroom tend to develop 6 to 24 hours and include watery diarrhoea, vomiting, or abdominal pain.
Severely poisoned patients may develop irreversible liver failure within 48 to 96 hours after ingestion, which may be accompanied by acute kidney failure or pancreatitis.
Dr Edward Moreno, County of Monterey Health Officer, added in a statement: "Only people with extensive training and experience should eat wild mushrooms that they have picked themselves."