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Death cap mushrooms have triggered a deadly surge in poisonings across California, killing four people and causing multiple liver transplants after a rainy winter helped the toxic fungus spread widely.
Death cap mushrooms — considered among the most lethal fungi in the world — are behind a surge in poisonings in California that has killed four people and sent three others for liver transplants, health officials say.
The toxic mushroom, scientifically known as Amanita phalloides, has spread widely across Northern California and the Central Coast following a rainy winter, prompting urgent warnings from state health authorities, the Associated Press reported.
What are death cap mushrooms?
Death cap mushrooms contain amatoxins, powerful poisons that attack the liver and kidneys and can lead to organ failure or death, according to experts cited by the news outlet.
Crucially, the toxins cannot be destroyed by cooking, drying or freezing.
Experts warned that whether the death cap variety is raw, dried or cooked does not make a difference.
Health officials stress that the mushroom’s appearance offers no reliable clue to its danger.
Easy to confuse with edible mushrooms
One of the greatest risks posed by death cap mushrooms is how easily they resemble edible varieties, particularly those commonly foraged in Europe, Asia and parts of Mexico.
Laura Marcelino, a 36-year-old seasonal farmworker in Salinas, told the San Francisco Chronicle that her family mistook death cap mushrooms for ones they had safely eaten in their native Oaxaca, Mexico.
“We thought it was safe,” Marcelino said in Spanish.
Her husband later required a liver transplant after the couple ate the mushrooms twice.
Symptoms can be delayed and deceptive
People who ingest death cap mushrooms often experience stomach cramping, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea within 24 hours, experts say.
Those early symptoms may fade within a day, giving a false sense of recovery — even as severe liver damage continues to develop.
Serious to fatal liver damage can still develop within two to three days, health officials warned.
By the time symptoms worsen, treatment becomes significantly more difficult, according to doctors quoted by the Associated Press.
Where death caps are found
Death cap mushrooms have been collected in local and national parks across Northern California and along the Central Coast, including clusters in Monterey County and the San Francisco Bay Area, officials cited by AP said.
They typically grow near oak and other hardwood trees and thrive after periods of heavy rain.
Who are affected
Those poisoned this year have ranged in age from 19 months to 67 years old, the California Department of Public Health said.
The department noted that many of the cases involved Spanish, Mixteco and Mandarin Chinese speakers, prompting the state to expand public warnings in multiple languages. Spanish was the primary language for more than 60% of those poisoned, according to the health department.
Children and pets are also at risk, officials warned.
What officials advise
Health officials strongly recommend avoiding wild mushroom foraging altogether and purchasing mushrooms only from trusted grocery stores and sellers.
“Treatment is more difficult once symptoms start,” doctors warned, urging anyone who believes they may have eaten a toxic mushroom to seek immediate medical care.
US Poison Control Centers can be reached at 1-800-222-1222 or via PoisonHelp.org, the Associated Press reported.
English (US) ·