Public health officials are warning Californians not to forage for wild mushrooms after an outbreak of poisonings in and around the San Francisco Bay Area that have killed one person and caused serious liver damage in several others.
Toxic varieties of foraged wild mushrooms, including “death cap mushrooms,” have led to at least 23 poisonings since mid-November, according to state health officials. One adult died after eating the wild mushrooms and another underwent a liver transplant, officials said; a 19-month-old was also hospitalized but has since recovered.
The mushrooms look and taste similar to edible varieties — they have a broad, greenish-yellow or off-white cap with a ring underneath — but contain amatoxins that can cause liver failure and lead to death, said Rais Vohra, medical director for the Fresno/Madera division of the California Poison Control System. Even after boiling, cooking or drying, ingesting even a mouthfulof death cap mushrooms can be fatal.
Poisonings caused by mushrooms tend to happen around this time of year, as California’s rainy weather in the fall and winter creates ideal conditions for mushroom growth, Vohra said. But he said to record 23 cases in such a short period of time is “quite historic.”
“[Nearly] two dozen very sick people that had to be hospitalized and treated — that is an outlier,” he said. “We haven’t had a season this busy with mushroom poisonings since 2016.” That winter, Bay Area Mycological Society members reported an unusually large bloom of death cap mushrooms and the California Poison Control System identified 14 related poisoning cases.
Death cap mushrooms have been found across California, according to the Bay Area Mycological Society, often growing around oaks and, in some parts of the state, pine trees.
The California Public Health Department said it “strongly discouraged” Californians from foraging mushrooms this season, and urged caution when buying wild mushrooms from farmers markets and street vendors.
“These death caps are fruiting all over, from what our mycology colleagues are telling us, and we just want people to be careful,” Vohra said. “And the best way to be careful is to not forage at all.”
“I know that that can be controversial,” he added, “but I stand by that. And I think my poison control colleagues stand by that.”
Bruch Reed, chief operating officer of the North American Mycological Association, agreed that death cap mushrooms can be “insidiously catastrophic,” calling the spate of poisonings “a serious public health crisis.” But he said he and some other mushroom foragers feel “sadly disappointed” by the message public health officials have put forward, and believe it should have focused more on educating about how to avoid death cap mushrooms than advising people to stop foraging.
“We encourage those who wish to forage mushrooms, especially in this time of increasing, and perhaps unprecedented, food insecurity among vast numbers of Americans, to seek out and join their local mycology club,” Reed said, “and learn directly, in the field, from mycologically knowledgeable people how to identify, harvest and enjoy mushrooms safely.”
Experienced mycologists, he added, are able to distinguish death cap mushrooms from other varieties that are safe to eat.
Vohra said foragers often come from diverse backgrounds, as wild mushrooms are used in traditional cuisines around the world. He said those poisoned in the recent outbreak include a family from Mexico, and it’s unclear whether they were educated about the mushroom varieties that are safe to eat in the California area. Vohra warned the public to exercise caution when foraging in regions where they aren’t familiar.
Mushroom foraging has been increasing in popularity over recent years. Reed said the coronavirus pandemic is sometimes referred to as the “shroom boom” in which many people experienced more free time and a desire to reconnect with nature — leading them to start foraging.
Internet forums and social media have made mushroom foraging more accessible in recent years, too, but the increasing use of artificial intelligence tools have also added potential dangers. Some apps that use AI analyze photos or descriptions of mushrooms to identify species that users encounter in the wild, but foragers and experts warn they can be wrong and lead to fatal consequences.
Reed said joining a local mushroom club is key to learning how to forage and enjoy wild mushrooms safely, adding that there are more than 100 clubs affiliated with the North American Mycological Association across the United States and Canada.
“There is simply no better way to learn mushrooms than through experienced mushroomers in your local area,” he said.
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