A GP guide to wild mushroom poisoning
Although rare in Australia, poisonous mushroom ingestion can be fatal, so it is worth knowing when to suspect and how to approach these unusual cases.
Humans will often encounter wild mushrooms in their local environment.
Mostly, these interactions occur at a respectful distance and are reasonably uneventful. However, for some, these encounters are closer than others.
This typically occurs when ingestion is involved, which can occur in those who have been foraging for a rare delicacy to add to the dinner plate, seeking a recreational psychedelic experience or just simply feeling curious.
Poisonous mushrooms may be consumed because of a lack of awareness that some are toxic or through misidentification of a toxic variety as being edible by amateur ‘foragers’.1
