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Fungi and Water
Published in Chuong Pham-Huy, Bruno Pham Huy, Food and Lifestyle in Health and Disease, 2022
Chuong Pham-Huy, Bruno Pham Huy
Mushrooms of the genus Amanita are the most toxic and often deadly. For example, the species Amanita phalloides (known as ‘death cap’) causes the most fatalities in the world (94). The toxic agents of different amanitas are amatoxins. The pathogenicity of mushrooms depends on cyclopeptide toxins, and reports indicate that amatoxins account for 90% of fatal mushroom poisonings and have their most significant impact on the liver (95). For the rapid detection of amatoxins in urine samples of intoxicated people, a rapid immunoassay called lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) has been recently developed (98). Urine is sampled directly without the need for any pretreatment, detection from urine is completed in ten min, and the results are read by the eye, without the need for specialized equipment (98). Mushroom poisonings occur every year between June and December, the period of mushroom harvesting (95). Some well-known poisonous mushrooms will be described as follows.
Biochemical Aspects of Fatty Liver
Published in Robert G. Meeks, Steadman D. Harrison, Richard J. Bull, Hepatotoxicology, 2020
mRNA synthesis can be blocked by direct action on mRNA polymerase, as well as due to a decrease in the available substrates. The first mechanism works in animal treated by amanitins, one of the types of poisons of the mushroom Amanita phalloides.
Plants and Mushrooms
Published in David J. George, Poisons, 2017
Most mushroom poisoning deaths are due to mushrooms belonging to the Amanita species. Typically, gastrointestinal symptoms start several hours after ingestion and subside after several days, and then death from liver failure occurs a few days later. There is a high mortality rate, even with aggressive treatment, and generally requires a liver transplant within days of exposure.
Toxicity of muscimol and ibotenic acid containing mushrooms reported to a regional poison control center from 2002–2016
Published in Clinical Toxicology, 2019
Michael J. Moss, Robert G. Hendrickson
There are several Amanita mushroom species throughout the world which contain ibotenic acid and muscimol including Amanita. Muscaria (AM), A. pantherina (AP), A. gemmata, A. aprica, and A. regalis [1–3]. AM has been used by various cultures for religious activities, supporting work and physical exercise, and medicinal purposes [4]. Modern usage is generally for recreational and psychoactive effects [5]. Ibotenic acid and muscimol are isoxazole derivatives that resemble the neurotransmitters glutamate and GABA, respectively [6]. Thus, ibotenic acid may induce excitatory effects while muscimol causes sedative effects. There are numerous other chemical constituents in these species of mushrooms that have unknown effects. Muscarine, once thought to be the primary toxin in AM, has been shown to be present only in miniscule quantities [7].
An outbreak of Amanita exitialis poisoning
Published in Clinical Toxicology, 2023
Hui Meng, ZhaoYin Chen, LanChun Chen, WeiXin Tang, Fang He, XianRang Yan, XiaoHong Lin, XiaoLong Se, MingFei Xie, ZhanHan Li, LiJuan Lu, Xuetao Yu
The genus Amanita contains approximately 600 known species of agarics worldwide [1]; among these, 37 cyclopeptide-containing Amanita species [2] are responsible for >90% of all mushroom poisoning-related fatalities [3]. In southern China, a recent report on mushroom poisoning included 852 patients over an 18-year period and reported with a mortality rate of 21.5%. Of those who died 70.5% were caused by species in the genus Amanita [4]. Notably, the mushroom Amanita exitialis (A. exitialis) had a mortality of 60.6% in this series. There is a greater incidence of poisonings with this mushroom in rainy seasons, specifically March and April [5–7].
Comment on N-acetylcysteine as a treatment for amatoxin poisoning
Published in Clinical Toxicology, 2021
Matthew Correia, B. Zane Horowitz
The abstract by Locatelli et al. in Pharmacological Research from 1992 [2] evaluated a mixed set of patients treated for amanita poisoning or hydrocarbon exposure. Because they did not explain what historical or biochemical factors were used to substantiate the suspected amanita poisoning, this research did not meet the inclusion criteria set forth by Liu et al. Few details, such as time to treatment or other therapies used, are available.