ABSTRACT
There are a number of books and papers listing those mushrooms found in North America whose principle adverse response is gastroenteritis but little is actually known of their chemistry or toxicology. Poisonings produced by mushrooms of the A. phalloides group are characterized by a prolonged latent period, usually about 12 hr, between the ingestion of the mushroom and the first appearance of symptoms. There are a great number of mushrooms which can only be listed as "suspected" because there are insufficient clinical case reports to have attracted the attention of investigators. There is considerable variation in response to mushrooms. Part of this depends upon the age of the individual, the geographic source of the mushroom, and on its mode of preparation. Hemolytic reactions following mushroom ingestion, sometimes complicated by secondary renal failure, are occasionally reported. The medical literature is remarkable for the paucity of reports of allergic contact dermatitis due to mushrooms.
