Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Mushroom poisoning is poisoning resulting from the ingestion of mushrooms that contain toxic substances. Symptoms can vary from slight gastrointestinal discomfort to death in about 10 days. Mushroom toxins are secondary metabolites produced by the fungus .
These toxic mushrooms resemble several edible species (most notably Caesar's mushroom and the straw mushroom) commonly consumed by humans, increasing the risk of accidental poisoning. Amatoxins, the class of toxins found in these mushrooms, are thermostable: they resist changes due to heat, so their toxic effects are not reduced by cooking.
Treatment involves high-dose penicillin as well as supportive care in cases of hepatic and renal injury. Silibinin, a product found in milk thistle, is a potential antidote to amatoxin poisoning, although more data needs to be collected.
Suspected mushroom poisoning in Australia has made headlines around the world
"The mushrooms are the reproductive structure of a fungus that grows underground," Anne Pringle, a mycologist and expert on death cap mushrooms at the University of Wisconsin—Madison, tells ...
Among more than 5,000 species of mushrooms, about 50 are poisonous to humans, research shows. Death caps and related species that have the same toxin are to blame for the majority of mushroom ...
Trace concentrations of muscarine are also found in Amanita muscaria, though the pharmacologically more relevant compound from this mushroom is the Z-drug-like alkaloid muscimol. A. muscaria fruitbodies contain a variable dose of muscarine, usually around 0.0003% fresh weight. This is very low and toxicity symptoms occur very rarely.
Dizziness, lethargy, vertigo, tremor, ataxia, nystagmus, and headaches develop soon after; [32] fever often occurs, a distinctive feature which does not develop after poisoning by other types of mushrooms. [48] In most cases of poisoning, symptoms do not progress from these initial symptoms, and patients recover after 2–6 days of illness. [31]