"Michael Stacey, Sonoma's interim health officer, attributed the cases and deaths to an extraordinary boom in the prevalence of death cap mushrooms ( Amanita phalloides), noting that in an average year, the state sees fewer than five mushroom poisoning cases. "Early rains and a mild fall have led to profusion of the toxic death cap mushrooms in Northern California," Stacey said in the announcement. "Eating wild mushrooms gathered without expert identification can be unsafe. Some harmful varieties closely resemble edible mushrooms, even to experienced foragers.""
"Death cap mushrooms get their name because they contain an amatoxin, which inhibits mRNA transcription, leading to a shutdown of protein synthesis and then cell death. This is toxic to any part of the body, but the poisonings are mostly known for causing liver failure. After ingestion, amatoxins are rapidly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract and transported to the liver, where they quickly begin destroying the organ."
Since November, 35 people across California have been poisoned by wild mushrooms, resulting in three deaths and three liver transplants. The most recent death occurred in Sonoma County. Public health officials link the spike to an extraordinary boom in death cap mushrooms (Amanita phalloides) driven by early rains and a mild fall, and warn that some toxic varieties closely resemble edible mushrooms. Death cap poisonings are concentrated between November and March. Amatoxins in death caps inhibit mRNA transcription, shutting down protein synthesis and causing cell death, with rapid gastrointestinal absorption and concentrated liver damage.
Read at Ars Technica
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