A California man died last weekend after consuming “death cap” mushrooms — the third such death in the state since November.California has been contending with an unusual spate of poisonings from foraged mushrooms: 35 cases were recorded from Nov. 18 to Jan. 4. In an average year, fewer than five would be expected.“The numbers we’re dealing with this year are comparatively off the charts,” said Sheri Cardo, a communications specialist for the state health department.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe problem prompted a warning from the health department on Dec. 5, in which officials strongly discouraged residents from consuming any foraged mushrooms. The advisory described clusters of poisoning cases around Monterey and the San Francisco Bay Area. The affected patients had mistaken toxic varieties for mushrooms that are safe to eat, the health department said.The most recent death was in Sonoma County — the first from wild mushrooms there this season, according to the county health department.Dr. Michael Stacey, the interim health officer for Sonoma County, instructed residents to only purchase mushrooms from trusted grocery stores and retailers, adding that some “death cap” mushrooms closely resemble edible varieties.“Early rains and a mild fall have led to profusion of the toxic death cap mushrooms in Northern California,” Stacey said in a press release on Thursday.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementLast month, the California Poison Control System said that some of the people who had been poisoned by death caps spoke Spanish and might have relied on foraging practices developed outside the United States. Heather Hallen-Adams, the toxicology chair of the North American Mycological Association, previously told NBC News that death cap mushrooms look similar to other species in its genus, Amanita, that are often collected in Mexico and are safe to eat.The toxin in death cap mushrooms, called amatoxin, can damage the kidneys, liver and gastrointestinal tract if ingested. Symptoms of amatoxin poisoning can take up to 24 hours to appear and inc …
