Morel Mushroom Poisoning

Aka: Morel Mushroom Poisoning, Morchella Mushroom Toxicity

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II. Mechanism

  1. Morels are a gourmet delicacy
  2. Morels must be cooked to denature heat-labile toxins
  3. Undercooked or raw morels result in toxicity (possibly due to hydrazines)
    1. Gastroenteritis (within hours of ingestion)
    2. Neurologic toxicity (at 6-12 hours)
      1. Neurologic toxicity occurs when more than several hundred grams are ingested

III. Signs

  1. Gastrointestinal
    1. Nausea and Vomiting
    2. Diarrhea
  2. Neurologic
    1. Vision changes
    2. Headache
    3. Dizziness or Ataxia
    4. Paresthesias
    5. Tremor

IV. Differential Diagnosis

  1. See Mushroom Poisoning
  2. See Unknown Ingestion
  3. False Morel Poisoning
    1. Due to Gyromitra species (esculenta, verpa, hellvella, and disciotis)

V. Management

  1. Supportive care
    1. Antiemetics
    2. Intravenous Fluids
  2. Disposition
    1. Observe symptomatic patients for 24 hours
    2. Deaths have occurred (likely due to Dehydration with comorbidity)

VI. Prevention

  1. Refrigerate morels at Temperature <40 F
  2. Fully cook morels for >10 minutes

VII. Resources

  1. Demorest (2023) MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 73:219–24 [PubMed]
    1. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/73/wr/mm7310a1.htm?s_cid=mm7310a1_w

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