Outbreaks of mushroom poisoning associated with acute kidney injury

The outbreak of acute kidney injury (AKI) due to mushroom poisoning is not a frequently encountered medical challenge. Herein, we present 13 mushroom poisoning cases associated with AKI related to Amanita Proxima (A. Proxima) causing poisoning reported in a short time period in Turkey.

A total of 13 patients with AKI due to mushroom poisoning admitted to Usak Research and Training Hospital between November and December 2020 were included. Under morphological and microscopical investigations of mushroom specimens (from three patients), the species of the mushrooms were identified.

The median age of 13 patients presenting with AKI due to mushroom poisoning was 55 (ranging between 19 and 72 years), and 60.4% were males. Nausea and vomiting were the first symptoms in most patients and appeared at a mean time of 12.8 ± 7.6 h after ingesting mushrooms. Mean serum creatinine on admission was 7.2 ± 3.8 mg/dL. Kidney replacement therapy (KRT) was administered to all patients, and mortality occurred in two due to sepsis and heart failure (HF). Species of the mushroom specimens obtained from three patients were identified as A. Proxima, a rarely encountered type of mushroom. A. Proxima has a considerable similarity to a common and edible species specific to the Mediterranean Basin, known as A. Ovoidea.

Based on our findings, we emphasize the consideration of nephrotoxic mushrooms of the genus Amanita in the evaluation of mushroom poisoning cases, as well as the efforts needed to increase public awareness regarding the risk of fatal outcomes of consuming wild mushrooms.