Three people were recently hospitalized after eating poisonous wild mushrooms foraged in California wine country amid an unprecedented outbreak of illness and deaths linked to the practice statewide, health officials in Napa County announced.
The adults ate poisonous wild mushrooms foraged in the Napa Valley community of Deer Park over the weekend, the public health department said in a news release. They were not Napa County residents, and it’s unclear what variety of mushrooms they consumed. Poisonous mushrooms can be found anywhere, the release noted.
California has seen an uptick in mushroom poisonings, with four people dying and 47 becoming seriously ill since November, according to the release. In a typical year, the state may see up to five cases of mushroom-related poisonings, authorities have said.
An exceptionally wet December helped usher in what’s believed to be the state’s largest and deadliest outbreak of mushroom poisonings on record, with cases concentrated in Northern and Central California. Some areas also saw an unusually wet April, which may have helped foster another crop, health officials said.
“Recent rains have contributed to the resurgence of poisonous wild mushrooms in California, including in Napa,” said a statement from Dr. Christine Wu, Napa County’s public health officer. “Poisonous mushrooms can look and taste similar to safe mushrooms, and even experienced mushroom hunters have been affected by this outbreak.”
All four of the mushroom-poisoning deaths and most of the illnesses took place between Nov. 18 and Jan. 18, according to the California Department of Public Health. After the state recorded just one case in February and another in March, there was another uptick, with three cases recorded in April and five so far in May, according to statistics from the California Poison Control System.
The illnesses and deaths are primarily associated with amatoxin poisoning from people accidentally picking and eating death cap and western destroying angel mushrooms, according to the state.
Some of the cases involved immigrants or visitors who may have confused the mushrooms with edible species common in their home countries, and at least two were among unhoused people, according to information from the poison control system.
At least four people have required liver transplants, it states.
Twelve counties have reported hospitalizations since November, including: Alameda, Contra Costa, Humboldt, Monterey, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Sacramento, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Sonoma and Yuba, according to the state health department.
California’s last major mushroom poisoning outbreak took place in 2016 with 14 reported cases, and while there were no deaths, three people required liver transplants and one child suffered permanent neurological damage.
Times staff writer Karen Garcia contributed to this report.
