CHAPTER 72 – Mushroom toxins

Mushroom poisonings of humans and animals can demand extensive effort from clinicians and toxicologists and often involve emotion and publicity. The public expects the toxicology profession to provide guidance and a coherent approach regarding poisoning cases. Although it is estimated that very few species are lethal to humans, it is not clear how many of the mushrooms worldwide contain potentially toxic compounds. In veterinary medicine, data regarding mushroom toxicity are sparse; however, it is possible that mushroom poisonings are more common in animals than humans as a result of the propensity of accidental exposure. Overall, the number of reported mushroom poisonings in animals is low, although this is likely a result of the lack of methods to confirm exposure. In humans, most cases are diagnosed by positive identification of the suspect mushroom, which is a very difficult task in veterinary medicine. The development of new analytical techniques to identify mushroom toxins in biological samples of poisoned animals provides an insight into the true frequency of mushroom poisonings.