This mushroom is currently said to be edible

If intoxication symptoms do appear, several causes might be responsible for them :
 

  1. Wrong identification. The identification of the mushroom which was eaten may be incorrect. Collect samples or remains of the mushroom suspected of causing the intoxication, and immediately contact NHS in the UK or any poison centre
  2. Sensitivity to a species. The intoxication may be due in this case to a specific sensitivity of a given individual to a compound or structure contained in the fungus. Check in the text information provided with the species whether it is known to cause possibly this effect.
  3. Allergic reaction. An allergic-like reaction may be caused by compounds contained in the fungus, such as proteins, antibiotic substance, or pigments. The effects may vary (skin rash to Quincke's edema)
  4. Intolerance caused by trehalase deficiency. An intolerance caused by an enzyme deficiency can be experienced by some people which are suffering from a partial or total deficiency in trehalase. Trehalose is a sugar quite rare in plants but common in mushrooms, especially in young specimens. It is normally transformed into glucose and assimilated by the human body thanks to trehalase, an enzyme present in the intestines. Persons suffering from trehalase deficiency may be strongly upset by the consumption of young mushrooms.
  5. Poisoning by contamination. The mushroom may be normally edible, but could be contaminated by various pollutants, heavy metal compounds, pest killers or radioactivity. Mushrooms naturally grow on wide areas close to the surface, and unfortunately tend to accumulate these kinds of pollutants. Never eat mushrooms growing on polluted sites, among which areas less than 30ft away from busy roads.
  6. Decayed mushroom. The mushroom eaten may very well be belonging to an edible group, but it was eaten while the decaying process had already started (either because it had been picked up too old, or because it was kept too long, or carried in a plastic bag). The bacteria developing can cause digestion problems just like when eating any other decayed food. One must note that certain rather tough species can maintain an appearance of freshness while being old and already decaying (in particular Collybia Fusipes or Armillaria Mellea)
    7. Having a close look at collection baskets in mushroom hunting forays is enlightening as to the state of decay wild mushroom enthusiasts are ready to accept in order to eat their most sought prizes!
  7. Classical indigestion. The mushroom is indeed edible, but it may have been consumed as part of a meal too rich or too heavy, and the sickness observed has little to do with the mushroom itself (though generally speaking, the mushrooms may prove difficult to digest)


Other intoxications by mushrooms



page updated on 25/06/15