Five cases of poisoning from wild mushrooms have been recorded in Cape Town in the past two weeks, and although all victims have recovered, the provincial Health Department has warned against picking and eating the fungi, saying they may cause fatal poisoning, reports News24.
Mushrooms thrive in the rainy season, and there has been an abundance of them in the region lately, said owner and head mycologist at Ichikolowa Mushrooms South Africa, Daniel Sherwood. He added that there was a growing interest in foraging as a result of a broader movement towards health, sustainability, and conscious living, but there was also a misconception that edible mushroom varieties are easy to identify.
Director of Tygerberg Poisons Information Centre Carine Marks said five confirmed cases had been reported in the past fortnight in Cape Town, Hout Bay and Tokai.
While all of the patients were recovering and no fatalities had been reported, it was too early to tell if there would be any long-term effects on liver function, and continued medical follow-ups and monitoring would be necessary.
Marks said mushroom foraging has gained renewed popularity, particularly among a younger audience. “Social media platforms feature an increasing number of videos showing people collecting and preparing wild mushrooms,” she noted.
The poisonous mushroom is known as the Death Cap mushroom, regarded as one of the deadliest in the world.
“As the Death Cap matures, its cap flattens, making it even more similar in appearance to edible species,” said Sherwood. Although it is different in that it does not upset the stomach immediately like many other poisonous varieties, the Death Cap’s toxins attack the body at cellular level.
“The mushroom contains amatoxins, compounds that prevent cells from producing essential proteins. Once absorbed into the bloodstream, these toxins accumulate in the liver, where they rapidly destroy liver cells while also affecting the kidneys,” he added.
Sherwood said Death Cap poisoning creates a false sense of recovery in the initial stage, where the symptoms improve after one or two days. However, during this stage, the toxins continue to silently destroy the liver.
“Within several days, victims may develop acute liver failure, kidney failure, coma and, without urgent specialist medical treatment – often including liver transplantation in severe cases – the poisoning can be fatal.”
Renowned mycologist, author and owner of Mushroom Fungi, Gary Goldman, said the Death Cap changes colour depending on the weather, turning yellow in the rain and white in the sun – which is why the mushroom is often mistaken as being safe to eat.
He warned beginner mushroom foragers to avoid picking in the rain as the mushroom absorbs water and appears larger, making it more difficult to identify correctly.
“At least 95% of mushroom poisoning deaths are caused by the Death Cap. People who have eaten it say it’s one of the most delicious they’ve ever eaten, which is nature just messing with you. Around 12% of people who eat this mushroom will die, and it’s usually children under 11, and older people over about 74.”
On how to identify varieties that are safe to eat, Goldman advised: “Any mushroom found in the Western Cape with sponge or polypore under the cap – as opposed to gills like a fish – all the ones with sponge are edible. Just pick the ones with the sponge.”
News24 article – Western Cape warns against wild mushrooms after poisoning spike (Restricted access)
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