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See also: List of deadly fungi

Mushroom poisoning Classification & external resources
These emerging mushrooms are too immature to safely identify as edible or toxic.
ICD-10	T62.0
ICD-9	988.1
MeSH	D009145

Mushroom poisoning, also known as mycetism, refers to deleterious effects from ingestion of toxic substances present in a mushroom. These symptoms can vary from slight gastrointestinal discomfort to death. The toxins present are secondary metabolites produced in specific biochemical pathways in the fungal cells. Mushroom poisoning is usually the result of ingestion of wild mushrooms after misidentification of a toxic mushroom as an edible species. The most common reason for this misidentification is close resemblance in terms of colour and general morphology of the toxic mushrooms species with edible species. Even very experienced wild mushroom gatherers are sometimes poisoned by eating toxic species, despite being well aware of the risks. Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... A Mushroom as seen in Mario Kart 64 A Mushroom is a common power-up (or, in some cases, power-down) in the Mario universe. ... Only a small number of the many macroscopic fruiting bodies commonly known as mushrooms and toadstools have been implicated in the deaths of people. ... Photo of immature (emerging) mushrooms taken on Oahu in Hawaii by Eric Guinther and released under the GNU Free Documentation License. ... The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (most commonly known by the abbreviation ICD) provides codes to classify diseases and a wide variety of signs, symptoms, abnormal findings, complaints, social circumstances and external causes of injury or disease. ... The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10th Revision (ICD-10) is a coding of diseases and signs, symptoms, abnormal findings, complaints, social circumstances and external causes of injury or diseases, as classified by the World Health Organization (WHO). ... // S00-T98 - Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes (S00-S09) Injuries to the head (S00) Superficial injury of head (S01) Open wound of head (S02) Fracture of skull and facial bones (S03) Dislocation, sprain and strain of joints and ligaments of head (S04) Injury of cranial nerves... The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (most commonly known by the abbreviation ICD) provides codes to classify diseases and a wide variety of signs, symptoms, abnormal findings, complaints, social circumstances and external causes of injury or disease. ... The following is a list of codes for International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. ... Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) is a huge controlled vocabulary (or metadata system) for the purpose of indexing journal articles and books in the life sciences. ... Toxic redirects here, but this is also the name of a song by Britney Spears; see Toxic (song) Look up toxic and toxicity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For other uses, see Mushroom (disambiguation). ... Gut redirects here. ... For other uses, see Death (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Toxin (disambiguation). ... Secondary metabolites, also known as natural products, are those products (chemical compounds) of metabolism that are not essential for normal growth, development or reproduction of an organism. ... For the fictional character, see Fungus the Bogeyman. ... The term morphology in biology refers to the outward appearance (shape, structure, colour, pattern) of an organism or taxon and its component parts. ...

To prevent mushroom poisoning, mushroom gatherers need to be very intimately familiar with the mushrooms they intend to collect, including knowledge of the toxic species that look similar to these edible species. Other considerations regard methods of preparation and toxicity of some fungal species that appears to vary with geographic location, raising the potential of mushroom poisoning due to local toxicity of a correctly identified species.

Folk traditions

There are many folk traditions concerning the defining features of poisonous mushrooms^[1][2]. Unfortunately there are no general identifiers for poisonous mushrooms, and so such traditions are unreliable guides. For example, while some highly coloured mushrooms such as fly agaric are indeed poisonous, other strongly coloured mushrooms are harmless. Other highly toxic mushrooms, such as the appropriately named destroying angel, are of unremarkable white colour. Lack of snail or insect infestation is also an unreliable identifier, since fungi that are harmless to invertebrates can still be toxic to humans; the death cap, for instance, is often infested by insect larvae. Likewise, poisonous mushrooms neither blacken silverware during cooking, nor necessarily smell or taste unpleasant. Importantly, many fungal toxins are not particularly sensitive to heat and so are not broken down during cooking. Binomial name Amanita muscaria Amanita muscaria is a basidiomycete mushroom of the genus Amanita. ... Binomial name Amanita virosa Lam. ... Binomial name Amanita phalloides (Vaill. ... Larvae are the plural of larva, juvenile form of animals with indirect development. ... Starch-polyester disposable cutlery Cutlery refers to any hand utensil used in preparing, serving, and especially eating food. ... Mycotoxin (from Gk. ... Thermostability is the quality of a substance to resist irreversible change in its chemical or physical structure at high temperature. ...

Guidelines

Persons who gather wild mushrooms should follow some practical guidelines (see mushroom hunting). In particular, they should not eat any mushroom they cannot positively identify; not allow small children to gather mushrooms for consumption; or mix known edibles with questionable species while gathering, since mushroom parts could break off and be confused with edible species. Morphological characteristics of the caps of mushroom, such as those illustrated in the above chart, are essential for correct mushroom identification. ...

Cooking mushrooms before eating is a safer practice, as only very few species can be eaten raw. Alcohol consumption should be limited when eating wild mushrooms positively identified as edible, but not consumed before^{[citation needed]}. Some species, most notably certain ink caps (Coprinopsis atramentaria) can cause an adverse reaction when eaten with alcohol. Portions of species that a person has not eaten before should be kept small (no more than 150 grams per person at one meal^{[citation needed]}). This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Binomial name Coprinopsis atramentaria (Bull. ...

In some regions in Europe, mushrooms are not eaten at all; in other regions, such as Finland, Scandinavia and Russia, which traditionally have suffered from food shortage in winters, strong local knowledge on edible mushrooms exists and mushrooms form a remarkable part of cuisine. Yet many mushroom enthusiasts limit their pickings to only easily recognizable mushrooms, such as chanterelles and boletes, and leave agarics unpicked. False morel (Gyromitra esculenta) is often called the "fugu of the Finnish cuisine", since it is deadly poisonous when raw, but rarely causes poisoning if properly prepared (although its edibility is still a matter of dispute). It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Gyromitra. ... Fuku redirects here. ...

Specimens that look similar to edibles at one geographic location may be deadly in another region and should not be collected without good knowledge of the local biota. For instance, Cantharellus is often picked in Scandinavia where no risk of confusing this mushroom with toxic species exists.^{[citation needed]} However, in North America, this ground-dwelling mushroom has been known to be mistaken for the wood-decaying Jack O'Lantern mushroom (Omphalotus olearius), which may grow from the ground if there is buried wood present. Note also recent reports of confusion between Volvariella speciosa, a popular edible species in Asia, and Amanita phalloides, a deadly poisonous species in North America and Europe. Biota can refer to several things: The plant and animal life of a region; see biota (ecology) A municipality in Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain; see Biota (municipality) A superdomain in taxonomy; see Biota (taxonomy) Biota Holdings, the Australian biotech company This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other... Species Cantharellus is a genus with many delicious and popular edible mushrooms. ... For other uses, see Scandinavia (disambiguation). ... Binomial name Omphalotus olearius The Jack OLantern mushroom (Omphalotus olearius) is an orange to red gill mushroom that is similar in appearance to the chanterelle, and most notable for its bioluminescent properties. ... Edible agaric mushroom. ... Binomial name (Vaill. ...

Very young fruiting bodies of destroying angel (Amanita virosa) mushrooms resemble the well-known champignon, or button mushroom, a mushroom widely sold in markets. Similarities between these two species lead to a few deaths every decade in Scandinavia alone^{[citation needed]}. Basidiocarps of Amanita muscaria. ... Binomial name Amanita virosa Lam. ... Cultivated white mushrooms from the supermarket The white mushroom (Agaricus bisporus), also called the common mushroom, cultivated mushroom, and called champignon de Paris in France, is the most widely cultivated mushroom in the world. ... Binomial name (J.E.Lange) Imbach Agaricus bisporus, known as table mushroom, cultivated mushroom or button mushroom, is an edible basidiomycete fungus which naturally occurs in grasslands, fields and meadows across Europe and North America, though has spread much more widely and is one of the most widely cultivated mushrooms... For other uses, see Scandinavia (disambiguation). ...

Cases of fatal mushroom poisoning are relatively common in Europe, but less so in North America ;^{[citation needed]} this may be related to the use of folklore rather than detailed knowledge in Europe, whereas North American mushroom collectors tend to refer often to authoritative reference works.^{[citation needed][original research?]}

Symptoms

Symptoms may vary from gastric upset to life-threatening organ failure. Serious symptoms do not always occur immediately after eating; often not until the toxin attacks the kidney, from minutes to hours later, or, as is the case for alpha-amanitin poisoning, not until days after consumption. Alpha-amanitin or α-amanitin is a cyclic nonribosomal peptide of eight amino acids. ...

Symptoms typically include:

• Fatigue
• Headache
• Dizziness
• Cold sweat
• Hallucinations
• Vomiting
• Sharp abdominal pains
• Jaundice
• Severe diarrhea
• Blurred vision

If treated promptly, death can usually be avoided. Otherwise, with some toxins, death could result within a week or a few days. More detail on the exact symptoms associated with different toxins can be found below. Exhaustion redirects here. ... A headache (cephalgia in medical terminology) is a condition of pain in the head; sometimes neck or upper back pain may also be interpreted as a headache. ... Many different terms are often used to describe what is collectively known as dizziness. ... A hallucination is a false sensory perception in the absence of an external stimulus, as distinct from an illusion, which is a misperception of an external stimulus. ... Emesis redirects here. ... Abdominal pain can be one of the symptoms associated with transient disorders or serious disease. ... Look up jaundice in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Diarrhea, also spelled diarrhoea (see spelling differences), is a condition in which the sufferer has frequent watery, loose bowel movements (from the Greek word διάρροια; literally meaning through-flowing). Acute infectious diarrhea is a common cause of death in developing countries (particularly among infants), accounting for 5 to 8 million deaths...

Toxins

See also: Category:Mycotoxins.

• alpha-amanitin (deadly) – principal toxin in genus Amanita
• bolesatine (found in Boletus satanas)
• coprine (only poisonous with alcohol)
• orellanine (deadly) – principal toxin in genus Cortinarius
• gyromitrin (deadly)
• muscarine (sometimes deadly)
• arabitol (causes gastrointestinal irritation in some people)

Alpha-amanitin or α-amanitin is a cyclic nonribosomal peptide of eight amino acids. ... Binomial name Boletus satanas Lenz The devils bolete (Boletus satanas; also known as Satans mushroom) is a fungus of the bolete family. ... Orellanine or Orellanin is a pyridine N-oxide and a crystalline alkaloid that is found naturally in some lifeforms, specifically certain fungi. ... Gyromitrin is a chemical present in most members of the False Morel genus of mushrooms. ... Muscarine, L-(+)-muscarine, or muscarin is a natural product found in certain mushrooms, particularly in Inocybe and Clitocybe species, such as the deadly C. dealbata. ... Arabitol or arabinitol is a sugar alcohol. ...

Poisonous species

See also: List of deadly fungi

Three of the most lethal mushrooms belong to the genus Amanita: the death cap (A. phalloides) and destroying angels (A. virosa, and A. bisporiga); and two are from the genus Cortinarius: the deadly webcap (C. rubellus), and the fool's webcap (C. orellanus). These species cause the greatest number of fatalities. Poisoning by Amanita phalloides is characterized by a delay of between 6 and 24 hours from the time of ingestion to the onset of symptoms. During this time, the cells of the kidneys and liver are attacked. There is no antidote for poisoning and mortality is between 10 and 15 percent.^[3] There have been some recorded studies suggesting that Silybum marianum or blessed milk thistle protect the liver from aminita toxins and promote regrowth of damaged cells, including a study in which 60 patients exposed to death cap poison were given 20 mg/kg of milk thistle seeds per day within 48 hours of consuming the deadly mushrooms. None of the patients died.^[4] Only a small number of the many macroscopic fruiting bodies commonly known as mushrooms and toadstools have been implicated in the deaths of people. ... Species 600, see List of Amanita species Synonyms Aspidella The genus Amanita contains about 600 species of agarics including some of the most toxic known mushrooms found worldwide. ... Binomial name Amanita phalloides (Vaill. ... Binomial name Amanita virosa Lam. ... Cortinarius is a genus of mushrooms. ... Binomial name Cortinarius rubellus Cooke Cortinarius orellanus Fries The lethal webcaps, two species in the genus Cortinarius, are probably the worlds most poisonous mushrooms. ... Binomial name Cortinarius rubellus Cooke Cortinarius orellanus Fries The lethal webcaps, two species in the genus Cortinarius, are probably the worlds most poisonous mushrooms. ... The kidneys are the organs that filter wastes (such as urea) from the blood and excrete them, along with water, as urine. ... The liver is the largest internal organ in the human body, and is an organ present in vertebrates and some other animals. ... Species Silybum eburneum Silybum marianum Silybum × gonzaloi Ref: IPNI Query The milk thistles are the genus Silybum of flowering plants, in the daisy family (Asteraceae). ...

Many species of Galerina, Lepiota, and Conocybe contain also lethal amounts of amatoxins. Galerina sp. ... Lepiota is a genus of gilled mushrooms, in the order Agaricales. ... Type species Conocybe tenera [1] The genus Conocybe is a genus of mushrooms consisting of Conocybe tenera and at least 243 other species, with at least 50 species in North America. ... Amatoxins are a subgrup of toxins found in Amanita phalloides and also in Galerina and Lepiota mushroom species. ...

The following species may cause great discomfort, but are less often lethal.

• Amanita muscaria (fly agaric) – poisonings rare, possibly because its unique and obvious appearance make it easily identifiable; it is known for its use as an entheogen, and it is now known that the toxins convert to psychoactives upon drying.
• Amanita pantherina (panther mushroom) – contains similar toxins as A. muscaria, but in higher quantities.
• Amanita muscaria var. regalis – symptoms generally mild.
• Chlorophyllum molybdites (greengills) – causes intense gastointestinal upset.
• Entoloma (pinkgills) – highly poisonous, such as livid entoloma (Entoloma sinuatum), Entoloma rhodopolium, and Entoloma nidorosum. First symptoms appear after 20 minutes to 4 hours.
• Galerina – some species contain alpha-amanitin.
• Many Inocybe species such as Inocybe fastigiata and Inocybe geophylla contain muscarine, while Inocybe erubescens is the only one known to have caused death.
• Some white Clitocybe, including C. rivulosa and C. dealbata – first symptoms after 15 to 20 minutes
• Tiger Tricholoma (Tricholoma tigrinum) – no lasting effect after 2 to 6 hours of great pain.
• Man-on-horseback Tricholoma equestre – until recently thought edible and good, can lead to rhabdomyolysis after repeated consumption.
• Sulfur tuft (Hypholoma fasciculare) – poisoning may be serious
• Omphalotus olearius – severe
• False morel (Gyromitra esculenta) – deadly poisonous when raw; usually OK cooked, and delicious if correctly prepared.
• Brown roll-rim (Paxillus involutus) – once thought edible, but now found to destroy red blood cells with regular or long-term consumption.
• Devil's bolete (Boletus satanas)
• Purple bolete (B. rhodoxanthus)
• Conocybe filaris – contains amatoxins, sometimes mistaken for Psilocybe.
• Some species of Agrocybe contain a deadly amount of toxins.
• Hebeloma crustuliniforme (known as Poison pie or Fairy cakes) – can cause gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea and vomiting.

Binomial name (L.:Fr. ... This entry covers entheogens as psychoactive substances used in a religious or shamanic context. ... Binomial name Amanita pantherina Amanita pantherina is a North American fungus. ... Binomial name (L.:Fr. ... Binomial name (G. Mey. ... Species Entoloma sinuatum Entoloma abortivum Entoloma (or pinkgills) is a genus of terrestrial pink-spored mushrooms. ... Binomial name (Bull. ... Galerina sp. ... Alpha-amanitin or α-amanitin is a cyclic nonribosomal peptide of eight amino acids. ... Inocybe is a large, complex genus of mushrooms. ... Muscarine, L-(+)-muscarine, or muscarin is a natural product found in certain mushrooms, particularly in Inocybe and Clitocybe species, such as the deadly C. dealbata. ... Hundreds of species of mushrooms compose the genus Clitocybe. ... Binomial name (Pers. ... Binomial name Clitocybe dealbata (Sowerby) Gillet (1874) The ivory funnel (Clitocybe dealbata) is a small white funnel-shaped toadstool widely found in lawns, meadows and other grassy areas in Europe and North America. ... Tricholoma equestre or Tricholoma flavovirens, also known as Man on horseback or Yellow knight is a formerly widely eaten but hazardous fungus of the Tricholoma genus that forms ectomycorrhiza with pine trees. ... Rhabdomyolysis is the rapid breakdown of skeletal muscle tissue due to traumatic injury, either mechanical, physical or chemical. ... Sulfur Tuft Naematoloma fasciculare Also known as the Clustered Woodlover, this common poisonous mushroom is usually found in clumps on both conifers and hardwoods: stumps, rotting logs, and buried debris. ... Binomial name Omphalotus olearius The Jack OLantern mushroom (Omphalotus olearius) is an orange to red gill mushroom that is similar in appearance to the chanterelle, and most notable for its bioluminescent properties. ... Binomial name (Pers. ... Binomial name Paxillus involutus (Batsch ex Fr. ... “Red cell” redirects here. ... Binomial name Boletus satanas Lenz The devils bolete (Boletus satanas; also known as Satans mushroom) is a fungus of the bolete family. ... Binomial name (Fries) Kühner Synonyms Pholiota filaris Pholiotina filaris Conocybe filaris is a common lawn mushroom which is widely distributed and especially common in the pacific northwest. ... Amatoxins are a subgrup of toxins found in Amanita phalloides and also in Galerina and Lepiota mushroom species. ... Type species Psilocybe montana Species List of Psilocybe species Psilocybe is a genus of small mushrooms growing worldwide. ... Agrocybe is a genus of mushrooms, most which are poisonous. ... Binomial name (Bull. ...

Other causes of poisoning

Mushrooms may be rendered poisonous by insecticides or herbicides sprayed on lawns or reserves. At least one author recommends never picking them in non-natural landscapes for this reason.^{[citation needed]}

Also, mushrooms are sometimes contaminated by concentrating pollutants, such as heavy metals or radioactive material (see Chernobyl disaster effects). The nuclear power plant at Chernobyl prior to the completion of the sarcophagus. ...

Famous poisonings

• Roman Emperor Claudius is said to have been murdered by being fed the death cap mushroom. However this story appears some two centuries after the events, and it is even debatable whether Claudius was murdered at all.^[5]
• Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI, Pope Clement VII, and Tsaritsa Natalia Naryshkina are believed to have died from eating the death cap mushroom.

For other persons named Claudius, see Claudius (disambiguation). ... Binomial name Amanita phalloides (Vaill. ... Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI Charles VI of Austria (October 1, 1685 – October 20, 1740) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1711 to 1740 and the second son of Leopold I with his third wife, Eleonore-Magdalena of Pfalz-Neuburg, first assumed the royal title Charles III of Aragon and Castile... For the antipope (1378–1394) see antipope Clement VII. Pope Clement VII (May 26, 1478 – September 25, 1534), born Giulio di Giuliano de Medici, was a cardinal from 1513 to 1523 and was Pope from 1523 to 1534. ... Natalia Kirillovna Naryshkina (September 1, 1651 - February 4, 1694) was the Tsaritsa of Russia from 1645 to 1676. ... Binomial name (Vaill. ...

References

External links

• Poisonous American Mushrooms - AmericanMushrooms.com
• Mushroom toxins from the Center for Food Safety & Applied Nutrition
• Poisonous mushrooms: microscopic identification in cooked specimens from medical mycologist R.C. Summerbell
• Mushroom poisoning Syndromes from the North American Mycological Association
• Mushroom poisoning Case Registry (North America) from the North American Mycological Association