Pablo Posted April 4, 2002 http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/04/02/...7206204375.html By Julie Robotham Medical Writer April 3 2002 One man has died and two others have suffered kidney failure after eating what they thought were magic mushrooms. The cases, all in Victoria, are the first to be reported in Australia where mushroom poisoning caused kidney failure, prompting a warning that doctors should be aware of such poisoning as a possible cause of kidney failure. There is concern such cases may become more common because death cap mushrooms - a possible source of the poisoning - are becoming more widespread throughout south-eastern Australia. "Given that the patients did not experience hallucinations, it is likely that the cases ... are due to species misidentification," Peter Mount, who recognised the mushroom poisoning, wrote in the journal Internal Medicine. Dr Mount, a Melbourne kidney specialist, wrote: "It may be that those who seek hallucinogenic mushrooms are less discerning and more prone to species misidentification than other foragers." A 17-year-old died five months after he was admitted to hospital, and a 24-year-old needs dialysis to survive. The condition of a 16-year-old with kidney failure is unknown as he did not attend further hospital appointments. True magic mushrooms have never been associated with kidney failure, and most cases of severe mushroom poisoning in Australia have led to failure of the liver rather than the kidneys. A Sydney University toxicologist, David Le Couteur, said less than half of Australia's mushroom species were known and their toxicology documented. It was likely many cases of poisoning went unrecognised because doctors did not ask the right questions, particularly if the patient was abusing other drugs, Professor Le Couteur said Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
waterdragon Posted April 5, 2002 this just proves the need for readily available identification guides for foragers of australian shrooms. every year i discover fascinating specimens and can't help but to wonder at their food/other potential, of course some smell so bad that consumption is never going to be an option. i suppose if such a work were to present itself the powers that be would ban it for a myriad of reasons. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
