Poisonous mushrooms were the most common cause of outbreaks in China during a 14-year period, according to a study.
Stats on mushroom outbreaksOf the 13,307 outbreaks with known etiology, almost a third were caused by poisonous mushrooms, followed by Vibrio parahaemolyticus at 11 percent while the percentage linked to saponin, Salmonella, nitrite, pesticides, Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus were all in single figures.
Of 13,305 outbreaks associated with a single food category, fungi – mainly poisonous mushrooms – were most commonly implicated, followed by meats, vegetables, aquatic animals, condiments, poisonous plants such as saponin, tung oil or seed and aconite, as well as grains such as rice and noodles.
Wild mushroom poisoning incidentAnother study, published in China CDC Weekly, described 10 cases of wild mushroom poisoning in a city of Zhejiang Province this past year.
Poisonings were caused by ingestion of a wild mushroom containing amanitin toxins.
The Xinchang County CDC of Shaoxing City, received a report from a local hospital that six patients in a family went to a doctor with suspected food poisoning in late June.
There were one to two cases of wild mushroom containing amanitin toxins poisoning each year in Zhejiang Province.
Wild mushrooms were collected on mountains near the residences and were one of the main foods with noodles or as a soup.
CDCs in Shaoxing city carried out publicity and education about wild mushroom poisonings and prohibited residents from picking and eating them.
In China, about 20 species of mushrooms can cause death, and most people are not able to identify which types are edible.
The rainy season in Zhejiang Province is from the middle of June to mid-July and with the average temperature, combined to make suitable growing conditions for wild mushrooms.
Local CDCs decided to set up warning signs prohibiting the picking and eating of wild mushrooms in mountain areas to prevent such incidents.