Who is at risk for mushroom toxicity?
There are four major types of toxins: gastrointestinal, disulfiram-like, neurologic, and protoplasmic. The latency period and signs and symptoms vary widely. The patient and health care provider may not consider ingestion of mushrooms if there is a prolonged period between ingestion and illness. In some cases, alcohol may precipitate symptoms (Table 2).2 Field guides generally do not provide enough detail to differentiate toxic from nontoxic mushroom species. Some edible mushrooms look like poisonous species that grow in the same habitat during the same season. Even expert mycologists can have difficulty identifying the many thousands of species. Although the most poisonous species of Amanita have not yet been reported in Alaska, mushroom species spread quickly to new habitats when conditions become favorable.
