A young child in Australia was hospitalized for eating a deadly cap mushroom, prompting health officials to warn Canberrans not to pick or eat wild mushrooms as they might be picking the deadly variety.
Australia has more than 15,000 species of fungi, 8,000 of which are macrofungi. Death cap mushrooms are the most common among dangerous mushrooms.
Death Cap Mushroom
According to Health Cleveland, mushroom harvesters must watch out for the Amanita genus, especially Amanita phalliodes aptly called "death cap" mushrooms as these group of mushrooms are the most common lethal mushrooms. It has toxic compounds called amatoxins that cause liver damage.
The mushrooms are white with umbrella-shaped tops and a cup at the base of their stem. For the untrained eye, the mushroom does not look dangerous and it might also taste good.
People who gets Amanita mushroom poisoning do not have poisoning symptoms until six to 24 hours after digestion. In other poisonous mushrooms, digestive symptoms appear as early as 20 minutes after the mushrooms are consumed, and symptoms pass after the irritant is expelled.
Symptoms of Amanita mushroom poisoning include vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. Some patients at the hospital experience low blood pressure. After an initial phase of digestive symptoms, the patient would recover for two to three days. The liver and kidney failure would eventually relapse, leading to massive bleeding and death.
Treatment for dead cap mushroom poisoning
As per Slate, there are no specific drugs that can treat Amanita mushroom poisoning so doctors treat it with aggressive hydration by giving IV fluids.
According to Slate, there is an experimental drug that has shown promise in blocking liver cells from absorbing the poison. The drug is an extract of the milk thistle plant called silibinin. Although the drug has not been approved yet by the Food and Drug Administration in the U.S., the doctors may use it with special permission.
Doctors warn that although some patients fully recover from the mushroom poisoning, others would need a liver transplant.
Following the recent dead cap mushroom poisoning incident, Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Chief Health Officer, Dr. Kerryn Coleman, warned the community against touching wild mushrooms with bare hands and to make sure that children and animals are kept away from them, 9News Australia reports.
Dr. Aanchal Kapoor, a critical care physician, said that people should not consume wild mushrooms unless it is identified by an expert. Washing or cooking poisonous mushrooms does not make it less dangerous so if in doubt if the mushroom is safe or edible, throw it out. He suggests sticking to mushrooms sold in groceries and specialty stores for good measure.
Experts also suggest cases of mushroom poisoning require immediate medical attention as the chances of survival increase when the treatment is given early.
Warning on death cap mushrooms
The mushroom resembles edible mushrooms but even a small amount of the deadly mushroom can be lethal. Mushroom experts also warn that it remains deadly even when cooked.
Death cap mushrooms are found across Australia and are often found under oak trees.
