SAN DIEGO (AP) — 4 individuals have died and three others have required liver transplants after consuming the aptly named demise cap mushroom that’s proliferating in California following a wet winter.
The California Division of Public Well being is urging individuals to keep away from mushroom foraging altogether this 12 months as a result of demise cap mushrooms are simply confused with secure, edible varieties.
Since Nov. 18 there have been greater than three dozen instances of mushroom poisonings reported, together with the 4 deaths and three liver transplants, in response to the well being division. Many who sought medical consideration suffered from quickly evolving acute liver damage and liver failure. A number of sufferers required admission to an intensive care unit. They’ve ranged in age from 19 months to 67 years previous.
“This tremendously exceeds the everyday report of lower than 5 instances of mushroom poisonings a 12 months,” the division stated in its public well being warning.
U.S. Poison Facilities stated in an electronic mail to The Related Press that it dealt with 2,315 mushroom exposures from September 2025 via January 2026 — a 40% improve in comparison with the identical interval within the earlier 12 months. Exposures don’t at all times end in sickness or poisoning.
Specialists warn {that a} mushroom’s coloration is just not a dependable approach of detecting its toxicity, and whether or not the demise cap selection is uncooked, dried or cooked doesn’t make a distinction.
Laura Marcelino instructed the San Francisco Chronicle that her household within the Northern California city of Salinas gathered mushrooms that appeared like those she and her husband used to forage of their native Oaxaca, a state in Southern Mexico.
“We thought it was secure,” Marcelino, 36, stated in Spanish.
Her husband was dizzy and drained the following day, however Marcelino felt high-quality, and so they ate the mushrooms once more, heating them up in a soup with tortillas. Their youngsters don’t like mushrooms and so didn’t have any. The following day, each adults, seasonal farmworkers, grew to become sick with vomiting and stayed dwelling from work.
Marcelino spent 5 days within the hospital, whereas her husband needed to bear a liver transplant.
Folks can have abdomen cramping, nausea, diarrhea or vomiting inside 24 hours after ingesting a poisonous mushroom and the scenario can rapidly deteriorate after that, specialists say. Early signs can also go away inside a day, however critical to deadly liver injury can nonetheless develop inside 2 to three days.
Dying cap mushrooms have been collected in native and nationwide parks throughout Northern California and the Central Coast. Clusters have been recognized within the Monterey and San Francisco Bay areas as properly.
The general public well being division stated these poisoned have included many Spanish, Mixteco, and Mandarin Chinese language audio system and the state in response has expanded their warnings in numerous languages. Spanish was the first language for greater than 60% of individuals poisoned, in response to the well being division.
Youngsters have been amongst these poisoned this 12 months. Officers advise maintaining a tally of youngsters and pets outdoors the place mushrooms develop, and shopping for mushrooms from trusted grocery shops and sellers.
Therapy is harder as soon as signs begin so medical doctors advise individuals to hunt medical care as soon as somebody turns into conscious that they’ve eaten a toxic mushroom or suspect they’ve.
U.S. Poison Management Facilities may be reached in case of an emergency poisoning or for questions on mushrooms at 1-800-222-1222 or PoisonHelp.org.
