Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Feb 2;8(3):002212.
doi: 10.12890/2021_002212. eCollection 2021.

The Deceptive Mushroom: Accidental Amanita muscaria Poisoning

Francesca Irene Rampolli  1 , Premila Kamler  1 , Claudio Carnevale Carlino  1 , Francesca Bedussi  2
Affiliations

The Deceptive Mushroom: Accidental Amanita muscaria Poisoning

Francesca Irene Rampolli et al. Eur J Case Rep Intern Med. .

Abstract

Amanita muscaria is considered to be one of the most remarkable and beautiful mushrooms. It has a red or orange cap covered with small white plaques and its distinctive appearance makes accidental and severe intoxication very rare. Its consumption is sometimes used as a means of suicide or it can be consumed for its psychedelic effects, and in some cases, it can be mistaken for edible species. In this paper, we will discuss a patient who fell into a coma after accidental Amanita muscaria poisoning. Rapid identification of the mushroom allowed the regression of symptoms and discharge from the hospital on the fourth day after consumption.

Learning points: Amanita muscaria is one of the most remarkable mushrooms for its distinctive appearance, but sometimes it can be mistaken for edible species.Amanita muscaria is a highly poisonous mushroom; the primary effects usually involve the central nervous system, and in severe poisoning, symptoms may manifest with coma and in rare cases lead to death.The rapid and correct identification of this mushroom is important for optimal risk assessment and in order to prescribe the best therapy.

Keywords: Amanita muscaria; coma; ibotenic acid; muscimol; poisoning.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interests: The Authors declare that there are no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The mushrooms collected by the patient, and after washing them. White plaques were lost and the mushrooms looked like Amanita caesarea
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Satora L, Pach D, Butryn B, Hydzik P, Balicka-Slusarczyk B. Fly agaric (Amanita muscaria) poisoning, case report and review. Toxicon. 2005;45:941–943. - PubMed
    1. Brvar M, Mozina M, Bunc M. Prolonged psychosis after Amanita muscaria ingestion. Wien Klin Wochenschr. 2006;118:294–297. - PubMed
    1. Michelot D, Melendez-Howell LM. Amanita muscaria: chemistry, biology, toxicology, and ethnomycology. Mycol Res. 2003;107(Pt 2):131–146. - PubMed
    1. Mikaszewska-Sokolewicz MA, Pankowska S, Janiak M, Pruszczyk P, Łazowski T, Jankowski K. Coma in the course of severe poisoning after consumption of red fly agaric (Amanita muscaria) Acta Biochim Pol. 2016;63:181–182. - PubMed
    1. Vendramin A, Brvar M. Amanita muscaria and Amanita pantherina poisoning: two syndromes. Toxicon. 2014;90:269–272. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources