How to recognize the death mushroom in Chile: “It is better not to collect species that you do not know well”

A few days ago it emerged that a 17-year-old boy died in Hualqui, in the Biobío region, after consuming mushroom poison he had collected with his family.

The fungus responsible was believed to be Amanita Phalloides, which due to its powerful toxins is also known as the “death fungus”. It is a species that is responsible for 90% of deaths from mushroom poisoning, indicates a scientific study by British Columbia Medical Journal.

The complicated outcome of the teenager has caused great regret in the Hualqui community. But at the same time he revealed how decisive it can be to accurately identify fungi that are harmful to health, and even fatal in some cases. Even more, for those who usually practice mushroom picking on a daily basis.

But, what is the current state of the mushroom scene in Chile? How many lethal species are there in the country? How to easily identify Amanita Phalloides to avoid exposure? That’s what a mushroom specialist had to say.

“In Chile, there is a great variety of mushrooms, even if this biodiversity is not yet very well studied” count up The third Götz Palfner, academic of the Department of Botany of the Faculty of Natural and Oceanographic Sciences of the University of Concepción.

The mycologist estimates that there are currently more than 3,000 species of fungi throughout the country, taking into account those that have been studied and have names. But the implications of a small fraction of fungi remain to be explored and analyzed.

“A lot of knowledge and research is lacking, especially since maximum care should be taken with the picking and consumption of wild mushrooms,” he points out.

In general, those that have been studied are the edibles. According to the professor, some of the most recognizable and of good quality are the changles, lyos, gargales, digüeñes, pine mushroom and níscal either. “They are common and growing in large numbers.”

Poisons, meanwhile, have also been widely studied, Palfner says: “The good news about poisonous mushrooms is that there are few species in the country, considering those that can cause severe poisoning. and which can lead to death, explains Palfner.

These mushrooms that can be deadly are only two: the ones already mentioned Amanita Phalloides and Amanita Gemmata . Both belong to the same genus and are not native species, since they were introduced to Chile with the arrival of introduced trees, such as oaks, chestnuts and pines.

The first recording of Amanita Phalloides in Chile dates back to 1990, in the city of Temuco. Since then, its presence has been identified from the Metropolitan area to Los Ríos area .

Palfner says it’s not so easy to confuse this deadly mushroom with other edibles because of certain characteristics that help distinguish the mushroom. He says that everything will depend on the knowledge that everyone has, but that when you dedicate yourself a little to the study of the species, you can quickly learn to differentiate it.

What could be decisive is to carefully observe the morphology of the fungus, explains the mycologist: “It is a medium-sized mushroom, which is characterized by the green color of its cap and part of its stem as well. It is a very characteristic tone, like green olives. There aren’t many mushrooms that have this color.” .

While the blades of the mushroom, i.e. the structure that sits under its cap, are usually a white hue.

“Another very typical attribute of almost all Amanita species is that the foot looks like a ring or a belt, which is also white” explains the also head of the Laboratory of Mycology and Mycorrhizae of the University of Concepción.

In some rarer cases, the shade of the cap of this poisonous mushroom may vary: there are some that do not have such a marked green.

There are several aspects that make Amanita Phalloides so risky to people’s health. The main thing is explained by the nature of its toxins, called amatoxins, and the effects they produce once a specimen is consumed.

“Once amatoxins are absorbed into the stomach from the intestine, they pass into the bloodstream and travel there through the body. They mostly stay in the liver” said Palfner.

“This is where they produce their deadly effect, which is to interfere with cell reproduction in liver tissue. In other words, the toxin inhibits and blocks cell division, which prevents liver cells from renewing themselves and enters necrosis. This produces the fulminant liver failure that is commonly seen in patients who have ingested Amanita Phalloides,” he adds.

No matter how much it is subjected to cooking, drying or any other type of process, its toxins are stable and will not be eliminated. Besides, half a mushroom is enough to cause the death of a person.

Recently, another problem associated with this fungus has appeared. As Amanita Phalloides and Amanita Gemmata are introduced species, they usually inhabited forests of non-native trees.

The complexity is that today it is much more difficult to find entire areas of native forests, and instead they are surrounded by introduced trees. “There we could find the native Amanita species that are edible and the deadly species in a pine or chestnut plantation. Both can grow within a few feet of each other. This mixture could promote confusion” assures the university.

Added to this is another recent factor: the fungus would also be present in the soils of native trees. This implies a greater exposure of the population, in particular of those who go in search of mushrooms, since it would no longer be a differentiating element compared to edible mushrooms.

This mutation was observed in first person by the same academic on the campus of the University of Concepción, not once, but several times. : “Here we have coigües and the Amanita Phalloides appeared under these trees. We are talking about a phenomenon in which the fungus changes or has already changed its host tree”,

“He jumped, in quotes, from the exotic trees he arrived in Chile with to native trees. It is a very dangerous phenomenon,” he adds.

Before going somewhere where mushrooms are known to be found, certain precautionary measures should be taken to prevent unwanted risks. In this, knowledge is fundamental and can also be decisive.

Palfner is clear on his recommendations if anyone is looking to pick mushrooms, whether in familiar or unfamiliar territory. One of the most important precautionary measures is to always try to identify species that may be poisonous, which are few in number and not very complex to recognize if you pay attention to them.

“On the other hand, you also have to know the edible species that you harvest. It is better to abstain from species which one does not know or not very well, and to collect only species which one knows, easy and sure to identify. it is said.

“Another piece of advice is that if there is any suspicion that the mushroom could be of the genus Amanita, you should refrain, you should not pick it. It does not matter if it is one of the native and edible species , I always say that to be safe, it’s better not to release Amanitas. It’s not worth it,” he says.

Finally, the researcher recommends picking your own mushrooms, according to criteria and personal knowledge: “It is better not to receive wild mushrooms collected by other people, especially when it comes to mixtures. There can always be a risk that one of the mortals is hiding among the mushrooms” .

Palfner concludes that one should also be alert to other toxic species that can trigger less severe symptoms, such as bowel symptoms with diarrhea, vomiting and abdominal pain.

“There is the famous fly swatter , Amanita Muscaria, which is also poisonous. It’s not deadly like the other two, but they should be avoided. It does not justify the experiment because of the psychoactive compounds”, he explains.

On the other hand is the poisonous mushroom or Agaricus xanthoderma, which can have a morphology very close to that of edible mushrooms. The positive part is that it can be shown to be harmful at the same time it is collected.

“When you scratch or cut it, it turns yellow. It is one of the few species that reveals its toxicity with this color change, which does not happen with other species. But it’s not fatal either,” concludes the specialist.