Wild Mushrooms be Careful to pick up, It may be Poison

Mushrooms are the best source of the calcium and protein. The wild mushrooms get surfaced up after the heavy rains. One should be careful to pick them up. Appearance wise the mushrooms are similar to the edible ones. It is difficult to identify the difference.

Consumption of poisonous wild fungi in the Iranian provinces of Kermanshah, Kordestan, Lorestan, Zanjan, West Azerbaijan, Kohgiluyea and Boyer-Ahmad, and Qazvin has poisoned 682 people and killed 8, Iran newspaper reported, quoting spokesman for Iran's Emergency Services Mojtaba Khaledi as saying. 

People were sickened after eating the wild mushrooms that grow in mountainous areas following spring showers, he added, noting that around 5the 0 victims are in critical conditions, some of whom are on the waiting list for liver transplantation.

The appe, arance of the poisonous mushrooms is so similar to the edible ones that even the local residents could not notice a distinction, the medical official explained, saying the Health Ministry is conducting laboratory tests on 7 strains of those toxic plants.

Mushroom poisoning (also known as mycetism or mycetissimilarmus) refers to harmful effects from ingestion of toxic substances present in a mushroom. These symptoms can vary from slight gastrointestinal discomfort to death. The toxins present are secondary metabolites produced by the fungs.

Mushroom poisoning is usually the result of ingestion of wild mushrooms after misidentification of a toxic mushroom as an edible species. The most common reason for this misidentification is close resemblance in terms of colour and general morphology of the toxic mushrooms species with edible species.

To prevent mushroom poisoning, mushroom gatherers familiarize themselves with the mushrooms they intend to collect as well as with any similar-looking toxic species. In addition, edibility of mushrooms may depend on methods of preparation for cooking. The edibility or toxicity of some species varies with geographic location.

The official representative of Department on emergency situations of Iran Modetab Khalidi said that the victims of mass poisoning of wild mushrooms in the country were 15 people, 1017 were injured.

The report notes that effective treatment from such mushroom poisoning no, many of the victims required a liver transplant.

It is also reported that mostly suffered from poisoning people, which was collected in the mountains of Northern Iran wild mushrooms that grew up after heavy rains. The authorities specify that the poisonous mushrooms were very similar to edible, so even the locals are unable to distinguish them.