Shiitake (Lentinus edodes) dermatitis

Shiitake (Lentinus edodes) is a mushroom which is eaten in Chinese and Japanese meals and is nowadays the second most commonly produced edible mushroom in the world. Shiitake dermatitis was first described by Nakamura in 1977. This disease presents with very characteristic skin manifestations. From April 1974 to April 1991, I have observed 51 patients with shiitake dermatitis. The following description reviews the clinical manifestations, laboratory investigations and sources of shiitake dermatitis.