4 people have died from eating death cap mushrooms as they spread in California after rains

nbc ^ | 02/07/0226

[BenLurkin]

The California Department of Public Health is urging people to avoid mushroom foraging altogether this year because death cap mushrooms are easily confused with safe, edible varieties.

Since Nov. 18 there have been more than three dozen cases of death cap poisonings reported, including the four deaths and three liver transplants, according to the health department. Many who sought medical attention suffered from rapidly evolving acute liver injury and liver failure. Several patients required admission to an intensive care unit. They have ranged in age from 19 months to 67 years old.

The death cap is one of the most poisonous mushrooms in the world and is part of a small group of mushrooms containing amatoxins, which are highly potent compounds causing 90% of fatal mushroom poisonings globally. They are in city parks and in forests, often under oak trees.

In a typical year there are between two and five death cap poisonings, said Dr. Craig Smollin, medical director for the San Francisco Division of the California Poison Control System.

“The main thing this year is just the magnitude, the number of people ingesting this mushroom,” Smollin said. “Having almost 40 is very unusual.”

[rlmorel]

Right. I got the impression that the ONLY way to be really safe is to have a good, comprehensive book with high quality pictures of mushrooms, and performing spore prints on them.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Told the neighbor NOT to eat it, b/c you never know and we've heard these reports about people eating the death cap...with dire consequences.

Actually if you have working eyes and fingers you can know.

This is what a death cap mushroom looks like.

Not anything like the ones you showed.

[Cletus.D.Yokel]

Here in Michigan, I’m forever telling my neighbors not to eat these, if they aren’t sure.
Oddly, they would disappear over night...

[Uncle Miltie]

I don’t eat gilled mushrooms in the main, so spore prints are beside the point for me.

I focus on Morels (!), chanterelles, and boletus edulis (porcini).

I’ll take a flyer on angel wings, cauliflower and oysters, but I’m not looking for them so I rarely find them.

And that is all. I don’t touch anything else, among the thousand plus species we have up here in WA /OR.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

We’ve got good friends who are big mushroom hunters. They’ve taken a number of classes and she is a Master Gardener. They harvest mushrooms on their own property, too. I think they tap them around the property to drop spores to grow more mushrooms.

Those ones you grew are beauts!

The article mentions several people have needed liver transplants already. I agree with you — a liver transplant is something I’d rather avoid.

[FroggyTheGremlim]

There’s a morel to this story.

Good one!

[rlmorel]

My wife and I saw this mushroom on a walk, and knowing nothing about mushrooms, it sure seemed like the biggest Morel mushroom I had ever seen...

Now-after reading your post, I went back and looked-it sure seems like a false Morel...

If there is anyone who needs to tell the difference between a false Morel and a real one, it should be me!

[rlmorel]

Heh, my wife is an avid and accomplished gardener, and worked in critical care nursing for many years, so she knows all the toxic plants in the garden!

I just retired last year, and if I got on her nerves being around her all day now, and she suggests in a quiet level voice that I relax and she will make me a nice cup of tea “from the garden” that I will be fully on guard!

[discostu]

There are 2 rules when it comes to eating wild mushrooms:
1 - if you’re not one of the best experts on mushrooms in the world do not eat wild mushrooms
2 - you’re not one of the best experts on mushrooms in the world, so do not eat wild mushrooms

Really way too many wild mushrooms are toxic. It’s Russian roulette with 4 in the chamber. Don’t do it.

[The Antiyuppie]

The Lithuanians in Chicago were supposed to be experts at mushroom harvesting. There was a Mushroom Day in Berwyn, I think.

I myself would not dare to do this on my own.

[milagro]

That’s sick—literally—but high-larious.

[left that other site]

This story is full of Shitaki.

But your remark really pressed my buttons.

[discostu]

Save some leftovers for me would be my answer. If none of them die, I’ll go for it. If they all die I’ll tell the cops what happened. Just another of my many services.

[ConservativeMind]

We are eating oyster mushrooms, quite often, but we buy them on sale, when discounted before being pulled a day or two later.

It used to be impossible to find fresh oyster mushrooms, so we got shiitake when we could.

The beta glucan and ergothioneine are incredibly good for you, and the calories are nearly nothing—and they taste very good!

[Ezekiel]

We'd never seen this variety - looked it up - it's a morel -

It's just as Karl stated, "There’s a morel to this story."

From where, exactly, do these insporations stem? What's for Dino tonight, Honey?

♫ When the Moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie --
That's a morel.

When volvae seem to shine like you've had too much wine --
That's no' morel

Gills'll ring ting a ling a ling ting a ling a ling and you'll sing
Portobello... ♫

[rlmorel]

I fully get people who don’t like mushrooms, but...I sure like them!

[ProtectOurFreedom]

LOL...

[Track9]

I used to do a lot of fishing around Terrace BC. They had ‘pine’ mushrooms. You could buy them from the pickers. Do you have them where you are? Figure you probably would.

[bobbo666]

Morels and those on trees are safe.

ANything out of the ground is a crap shoot.

[KarlInOhio]

Eating those can lead to lead poisoning, especially if you pick your neighbor's secret stash.

My parents knew a couple places in the area where they grew wild, but would never tell us kids lest we tell someone else.