Wild Mushroom Poisonings Surge in California,
California Poison Control issued a statewide warning today after a months-long run of wild mushroom poisonings turned fatal. CPCS has logged 47 hospitalizations since November 2025, with eight cases in just the last three weeks and four this month alone.
Four people have died, ranging in age from 19 months to 56, and others have required liver transplants after developing acute liver failure. Cases are clustered in Northern California but have begun spreading into the Central Valley.
The culprits are two of the most lethal mushrooms on the continent, both abundant in California and both easily confused with edible species: the Death Cap (Amanita phalloides) and the Destroying Angel (Amanita ocreata). They earned the names honestly.
A single cap of either contains enough amatoxin to kill an adult, and the trick is in the timing: symptoms typically don’t show for six to twelve hours after ingestion, sometimes longer. By the time the abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea arrive, the toxin is already shredding the liver. Severe symptoms can also surface days or weeks later in some cases.
CPCS notes that foragers from cultural traditions where wild mushroom collection is routine are at particular risk, because California’s deadly Amanitas closely resemble edible species from other regions. The agency’s guidance is simple: don’t pick wild mushrooms, and don’t eat them. The only mushrooms reliably safe to eat are the ones from a grocery store.
If you suspect mushroom poisoning, call the California Poison Hotline at 1-800-222-1222, or 911 in an emergency. The California Department of Public Health is tracking the outbreak in real time on a public dashboard.
You can watch a press release on the topic from early this year below:
Sources: California Poison Control System | KTLA
