Toxin

Morel Mushroom Poisoning

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Morel Mushroom Poisoning, Morchella Mushroom Toxicity

  • See Also
  1. Mushroom Poisoning
  • 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
  • Signs
  1. Gastrointestinal
    1. Nausea and Vomiting
    2. Diarrhea
  2. Neurologic
    1. Vision changes
    2. Headache
    3. Dizziness or Ataxia
    4. Paresthesias
    5. Tremor
  • Differential Diagnosis
  1. See Mushroom Poisoning
  2. See Unknown Ingestion
  3. False Morel Poisoning
    1. Due to Gyromitra species (esculenta, verpa, hellvella, and disciotis)
  • 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)
  • Prevention
  1. Refrigerate morels at Temperature <40 F
  2. Fully cook morels for >10 minutes
  • 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