The mushrooms sprout later this year, but vigorously. According to the poison emergency call center, there has already been severe poisoning in the north-east - so far less than in previous years. What do collectors have to watch out for?
Schwerin/Erfurt (dpa/mv) - In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania there has been at least one severe poisoning in the current mushroom season according to the poison emergency call. In October, a mushroom picker suffered liver damage, said Dagmar Prasa, the head of the joint poison information center in Erfurt, which is also responsible for the north-east, of the German Press Agency. "The patient wanted to collect greens and may have caught the death cap mushroom." That suggests the symptoms.
Gastrointestinal problems usually appear after 8 to 24 hours. Then the liver damage begins, the specialist described. This could necessitate a transplant or even lead to death. In this case, the patient recovered after a stay in an intensive care unit, Prasa said. The death cap mushroom can be confused with the button mushroom or the green agaric.
According to figures from the poison control center, five serious poisonings were reported in MV last year and two in 2020. In total, there were already 45 consultation cases with poisoning or a corresponding suspicion in 2022 (2021: 48, 2020: 61).
The poison control center in Erfurt is also responsible for the federal states of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. This year, requests spiked in September, according to Prasa. August was still too dry for the mushrooms. The inquiries then typically dropped again in November. Judging by the calls, this year is going to be a strong mushroom season.
Adults are mainly affected by problems with mushrooms - namely the collectors. Most often, mushrooms are confused with the poisonous carboegg and pearl mushrooms with the poisonous panther mushroom. "But we also have a lot of small children with us," said Prasa. They then snacked on mushrooms or pieces of mushrooms in kindergarten or at home in the garden.
The Poison Information Center advises leaving mushrooms that you are not 100% familiar with or taking them to a mushroom consultant before eating. The most poisonous mushrooms are found among the lamellar mushrooms. If in doubt, only mushrooms should be collected. But even mushrooms without lamellae or tubes, such as the tipple lorel, could lead to serious or fatal poisoning if they are confused with the popular morels.
