• Poisonous mushrooms including Death Cap and Yellow-staining mushrooms grow around especially during the Autumn months.
• The Yellow-staining mushroom (Agaricus xanthodermus) is the most commonly eaten poisonous mushroom.
• Consuming the Death Cap mushroom (Amanita phalloides) may result in death.
• Unless you are an expert, do not pick and consume wild mushrooms.
• There is no ‘home test’ that can help you tell the difference between safe and edible mushrooms from poisonous mushrooms.
• It is recommended that you only eat mushrooms you’ve bought from the supermarket, greengrocer or another reputable source.
• Symptoms include severe gastrointestinal upsets such as abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.
• If the person who has eaten the mushroom has collapsed, stopped breathing, is having a fit or is suffering an anaphylactic reaction.
• If you suspect you or your child may have eaten a poisonous mushroom, don’t wait for symptoms to occur before seeking medical attention.

Mushrooms are a type of fungus. Australia has many varieties of wild-growing fungi, many of which are edible. However, a few types are poisonous or even deadly.

Contrary to popular belief, there is no home test that can distinguish between edible and poisonous varieties. The only way to tell whether a wild mushroom is safe to eat is to have it identified by a mushroom expert (mycologist).

If you are unsure if a mushroom is safe to eat, don’t eat it. It is recommended that you only eat mushrooms you have bought from the supermarket, greengrocer or another reputable source.

Some wild mushrooms contain poisons that can cause illness, with symptoms ranging from mild to deadly. The poisons are not likely to be destroyed by washing, cooking, freezing, or canning. Many poisonous wild mushrooms are almost impossible to tell apart from those that aren’t poisonous, and many cases of poisoning have happened in people who were using field guides and had a lot of experience, and were “sure” they had picked the right kind of mushroom. Likewise, folklore is not a reliable way to avoid poisonous mushrooms.

Some of the deadliest wild mushrooms don’t cause obvious symptoms for hours or even days or weeks after they’re eaten, and, by the time symptoms appear, it’s likely that liver or kidney damage has already occurred. These kinds of cases often start out with symptoms that go away after a few hours and seem to be gone for 3 to 5 days, making the person think that he or she is better – but then much worse symptoms appear, often leading to death.

The best way to keep from getting sick from wild mushrooms is not to eat them. Some can make you sick even from eating a sauce that contains them, even if you don’t eat the mushrooms themselves. It’s much safer to get mushrooms from grocery stores that sell the products grown on professional mushroom farms.

The three main effects of poisonous mushrooms are:

• Hallucinations – some mushroom species contain toxins that cause hallucinations. These psychotropic types are commonly referred to as ‘magic mushrooms’. One of the better known species is the golden top (Psilocybe subaeruginosa). Apart from hallucinations, other effects include confusion, muscle weakness, agitation, rapid heart rate and headache. The golden top looks very similar to some varieties of Galerina mushroom, which are potentially deadly
• Gastrointestinal illness – many poisonous mushrooms cause gastrointestinal illness, such as nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps and diarrhoea
• Liver failure and death – about 9 out of 10 fungi-related deaths are attributable to the death cap mushroom (Amanita phalloides). Symptoms occur 6 to 24 hours after eating and include nausea, stomach cramps, vomiting and diarrhoea. The toxin can fatally harm the liver and kidneys, and death can occur within 48 hours. Other mushrooms that have a similar effect to the death cap include some species of Galerina, Lepiota and Conocybe.

If you suspect you or your child may have eaten a poisonous mushroom do not wait for symptoms to occur before seeking medical attention.

The Emergency staff member will take a brief history from you and give you the appropriate advice. It may be necessary for you to seek treatment through your doctor or the emergency department of your nearest hospital.

It helps to have a sample of the mushroom. Emergency staff may ask you to send them a photo of the wild mushroom to help in the species identification and risk assessment.

If the person has collapsed, stopped breathing, is having a fit or is suffering an anaphylactic reaction, immediately (911) for an ambulance.

Most poisonous fungi are eaten during autumn. Commonly eaten poisonous mushroom is the yellow staining mushroom (Agaricus xanthodermus), because it looks very similar to the field mushroom (Agaricus campestris) and the cultivated mushroom (Agaricus bisporus). Many reported cases of fungi poisoning involve young children who find yellow staining mushrooms growing in the garden at home.

If you deliberately eat wild mushrooms in the hope of experiencing a drug-related hallucination, you are very likely to become unwell. The most common symptoms of fungi poisoning are gastrointestinal upsets such as vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pains. A few types of fungi are deadly, such as the death cap mushroom.

Many varieties of poisonous mushroom grow wild in Victoria. Most young children who eat poisonous mushrooms find them in the garden at home. Children younger than 5 years of age have a natural inclination to put things in their mouths. If you have a toddler, regularly check your garden for mushrooms and remove them to reduce the risk of accidental poisoning.

Pet owners should take particular care when walking their pets in areas where mushrooms may grow. Where possible, remove any mushrooms from their yard before they have a chance to eat them. Dogs are more likely than cats to ingest mushrooms.

Pets can develop a range of illness from eating wild mushrooms including a gastroenteritis type syndrome to severe life-threatening disease and death.