Mushroom poisoning in northwest of Iran

Background: Mycetismus or mushroom poisoning is an important health concern and a potentially fatal state that usually occurs after incidental ingestion of mushroom’s sexual organs or fruiting bodies of fungus among the mycologists and the one who desire a natural or organic diet. The vast majority of mortality due to mushroom poisonings is attributed to fungus belonging to genus Amanita. Materials and methods: This report describes 34 cases with A. phalloides mushroom poisoning regarding the epidemiological presentation, clinical manifestation and laboratory findings. These patients were admitted in three hospitals of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences during 1989-1994. Results: The age of victims ranged from 4-75 years. Diagnosis of A. phalloides mushroom poisoning was confirmed by mycologist in 12 cases, toxicological studies in 5 cases and combined mycological and toxicological approaches in 3 cases. It was only suspected in 14 cases as the patients had died before being admitted or immediately after hospitalization. Ingestion of doubtful mushrooms was found either in their histories or mushrooms poisoning was documented in their relatives. Most of the victims (68%) were affected in spring, while no case was reported in summer. Conclusion: Mushroom poisoning should be considered in differential diagnosis of any case of acute gastroenteritis, especially during spring and fall when moderate temperature and moist conditions facilitate mushroom’s growth.