There are many species of poisonous mushrooms and toadstools in the UK, but many of them have an unpleasant taste and are therefore unlikely to be eaten in sufficient amounts to cause problems. Most fatal cases of mushroom poisoning in the UK are caused by (death cap). This mushroom can be confused with the edible field mushroom, although it has white gills instead of pink-brown ones. The death cap and some related species, such as (destroying angel), contain poisons called amanitins, which attack cells in the liver, kidneys, and small intestine. Symptoms such as severe abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhoea usually develop 8–14 hours after eating the mushrooms. Later, there may be liver enlargement and jaundice, which may lead to death from liver failure. There is no antidote, and treatment consists of supportive measures only. For those people who survive, recovery usually occurs after about 1 week. (fly agaric) has a red cap flecked with white. Symptoms of poisoning appear within 20 minutes to 2 hours, and may include drowsiness, visual disturbances, delirium, muscle tremors, and nausea and vomiting. Treatment of this type of poisoning (and of other types with rapidly developing symptoms) is with gastric lavage (see lavage, gastric) and activated charcoal. Recovery usually occurs within 24 hours. “Magic” mushrooms contain the hallucinogen psilocybin. These mushrooms may also cause high fever in children. The effects usually last for 4– 6 hours.
Mushroom poisoning |
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