Wild Mushroom Poisoning Triggers Health Alert

A man who ate wild mushrooms gathered in the La Selva Beach area inadvertently ate a poisonous fungus and is seriously ill, the Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency reported Wednesday.

It’s the second wild mushroom poisoning in the county this year, causing local health officials to sound the alarm.

"The most important thing to say about any of this is don't eat wild mushroom unless you really, really know what you're doing,” said Debbie Weshcler, supervising public health nurse in the county’s communicable disease unit. “We maybe don’t have cases every single year but we have cases that have occurred over the years. They don't stop.”

The man, who is not being identified, collected what experts believe were “Death Cap” or Amanita phalloides mushrooms over the weekend and ate them sometime that day or the next day. He fell sick 11 hours later, according to Weshcler.

"As far as I know, he's doing OK,” she said.

Death Caps bear a similar appearance to edible, wild mushrooms but, infrequently, mushroom foragers mistake the poisonous fungi for the tasty delicacy, sometimes with tragic results.

The most common are Amanita phalloides, Amanita ocreata—also called “Destroying Angel”—and Galerina autumalis.

A forager reported spotting Death Caps under a Live Oak tree in Watsonville in October, according to a report on MushroomObserver.Org.

"under oak/greenish yellow/smelly when older/partial veil/white gills/volva sack," the forager reported. He said he identified the poisonous mushroom by sight but other people aren't as intrepid.

Weshcler urged people to refrain from eating wild mushrooms unless they are confident in their fungus identification.

"The one thing that really strikes me as I learn a little about the mushrooms is how different the Amanitas species can look,” she said.

Also, wild mushrooms should not be eaten unless they have been determined edible by a recognized mushroom expert.

For more infomation about Death Cap mushrooms, check out this website.

People who consume poisonous mushrooms will get sick within 8-48 hours. Symptoms include abdominal pain, vomiting and really watery diarrhea. People should seek medical care immediately and contact the California Poison Control System at 1-800-8-POISON (1-800-876-4766) or 1-800-222-1222.

"They need to get re-hydrated and they typically can't get fluids down so that's why it's so critical to get to medical care,” Weshcler explained.

About two days after eating the bad ‘shrooms, people experience what’s called the “honeymoon phase” and their symptoms subside.

"One of the big problems that's happening during that time is some of the toxins that were ingested are re-circulating through your system," Weshcler said.

That’s when there is a potential for liver damage and doctors will assess the possible need for a liver transplant.

Within a day, the symptoms come back. Renal failure is possible "and if everything goes really downhill the person dies,” Weshcler said.

The Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz County recommends The North American Mycological Association as a resource for mushroom hunters.