China
Africa
Explore chapters and articles related to this topic
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
Poisonous mushrooms are fungi that can cause toxic effects, diseases, or eventually death to those who consume them. Mushroom poisoning, named mycetism or mycetismus, most commonly occurs after foraging and consumption of misidentified wild mushrooms in nature (94–97). The most common reason for this misidentification is close resemblance in terms of color and general morphology of the toxic mushroom species with an edible species (95). These accidents are often due to the collection of wild mushrooms by amateur foragers in the forest, meadow, or home garden. For this reason, never solely identify any mushroom based on pictures in a book or website; always consult a competent mycological expert for the identification of a new wild mushroom before consumption (95). Also, always buy mushrooms at the store or market; not from an amateur seller.
Hallucinogens
Published in G. Hussein Rassool, Alcohol and Drug Misuse, 2017
Small quantities cause relaxation and slight changes in mood but larger quantities can cause stomach pain, nausea and vomiting, shivering, a numbing of the mouth, muscle weakness, dizziness, drowsiness and panic reactions. The adverse effects can include stomach pains, sickness and diarrhoea. Higher doses cause perceptual changes, distortion of body image and hallucinations. Some people eat poisonous mushrooms thinking they are mushrooms containing psilocybin. This can be very dangerous as some poisonous mushrooms can cause death or permanent liver damage within hours of ingestion. Fly agaric mushrooms often cause nausea and stomach pain. Tolerance builds up with mushrooms in so far as the user needs to space out “trips” to get the desired effects.
An outbreak of mushroom poisoning in Israel during the 2020 fall and winter season: an unexpected outcome of COVID-19 restrictions?
Published in Clinical Toxicology, 2022
Yael Lurie, Dalia Lewinsohn, Daniel Kurnik
There are approximately 100,000 known species of fungi worldwide, among them about 100 poisonous to humans [1]. The mycobiota of Israel is very diverse, reflecting Israel’s various climatic and geobiotic regions and its unique geographic location at the intersection of Europe, Asia, and Africa. The 750 mushroom species in Israel include muscarinic and gastrointestinal irritant mushrooms and highly poisonous Amanita species [2]. Mushroom poisonings, usually due to inaccurate discrimination between edible and poisonous mushrooms, occur every year, mainly in the rainy season (in Israel, October to April). While accidental tasting by toddlers usually does not result in actual poisonings, foraging for wild mushrooms and their deliberate consumption can cause toxicity, ranging from mild gastrointestinal symptoms to severe, life-threatening toxicity. The National Israel Poison Information Center (IPIC) receives about 40–70 calls annually concerning mushrooms poisoning, but during the October–December 2020 season, we noticed an unusually high number of calls compared to the previous years.
A comparison of the accuracy of mushroom identification applications using digital photographs
Published in Clinical Toxicology, 2023
Sarah E. Hodgson, Christine McKenzie, Tom W. May, Shaun L. Greene
Poison centre calls regarding mushroom exposures in the state of Victoria have increased significantly in recent years, due to an increasing interest in foraging for edible and psilocybin containing species. Poisonous mushroom identification is fraught with challenges. Inaccurate identification by members of the public may lead to exposures producing severe toxicity and death, while inaccurate identification by poison centre staff may lead to errors in providing ideal care. Therefore, services of a mycologist are utilised to ensure accurate identification.
Investigation and analysis of Galerina sulciceps poisoning in a canteen
Published in Clinical Toxicology, 2018
Hong Xiang, Yajuan Zhou, Changlin Zhou, Shiguang Lei, Hong Yu, Yafang Wang, Shu Zhu
The tradition of eating wild mushrooms is quite common in Guizhou, especially among people living in rural areas. Therefore, cases of mushroom poisoning are frequently reported, which represents a public health problem. Each species of poisonous mushroom contains different toxic compounds, which can lead to a wide range of symptoms, such as flushing, gastroenteritis, CNS disturbances, delusion, rhabdomyolysis, and liver and renal failure, depending on the toxic components of the ingested species [1,4–7].