Acute poisoning with Tricholoma equestre of five-year old child

Abstract

This report presents the first case in pediatric literature of the acute intoxication of a five-year old male child who ate 300-400 grams of Tricholoma equestre daily for four consecutive days before the onset of poisoning. The symptoms included acute respiratory failure with the need of respiratorotherapy, muscle weakness concerning especially the pelvic girdle and the urinary bladder. The boy could not sit or stand up without help and the bladder had to be catheterised, several times daily, to avoid urine retention. The biochemical tests showed only minor muscle injury with maximal activity of creatine kinase 306 U/L, aspartate aminotransferase 39 U/L, alanine aminotransferase 56 U/L. No other causes responsible for the signs mentioned above such as trauma, viral, bacterial, neurologic and immune diseases or exposure to medications were found. All the symptoms and biochemical abnormalities disappeared within 12 days of hospitalisation. We believe that the clinical picture of poisoning with this wild mushroom might be different in children and adults.