2023-08-03 04:54:45
The heavy rains exasperate vacationers, but delight mycologists, who expect an exceptional harvest of wild mushrooms. Unfortunately, the Quebec Poison Control Center already lists about fifty mycological poisonings.
What there is to know
Rainy weather favors the proliferation of wild mushrooms this summer.
Rare and interesting species have grown, in addition to more common mushrooms like chanterelles.
The Quebec Poison Control Center has already referred around fifty people to hospitals after poisoning due to mushrooms.
So far in 2023, the Quebec Poison Control Center has referred around 50 people to hospitals following mycological poisoning. The health organization mentions a few serious cases, but refuses to give more details, in particular to specify their number, for ethical reasons, for fear that the victims can be identified.
PHOTO BERNARD BRAULT, PRESS ARCHIVES
The chanterelle, which is edible, is particularly abundant this year in Quebec.
“With the rain, mushrooms have a field day and so do amateur mycologists,” says Patrice Dauzet, vice-president of scientific affairs for the Cercle des mycologues de Montréal, the largest in Quebec with some 700 members.
Already, in the spring, we have been able to discover morels when they had been absent for two or three years. In recent weeks, with the proliferation of chanterelles, it’s euphoria.
Patrice Dauzet, Vice-President for Scientific Affairs of the Circle of Mycologists of Montreal
The favorable weather also favored the emergence of rare and interesting species, a great delight for mycologists, but presenting so many identification challenges. As amateurs are more numerous when mushrooms are abundant, the number of poisonings should be greater than in recent years – the months of August, September and even October also being important harvest periods.
Be careful with the data
The director of the poison control center, the Dre Maude St-Onge, is cautious and refuses any projection. The center receives about 50,000 calls a year about real or suspected poisonings of any kind, and about 1% concern wild mushrooms.
In 2021, of the 526 calls for help, 110 people were referred to a hospital center, but only 75 last year out of 450 calls. The director also points out that Public Health must launch a prevention campaign in the fall on this subject.
The Dre St-Onge explains that in the majority of cases, we don’t know which fungus is involved. Treatment is always related to the symptoms and the toxin(s) involved. If the situation permits, we try to put a name to the species of toxic mushroom by calling on experts. The Poison Control Center follows up on each case until the end of the poisoning episode.
“The problem is that there are no data on the level of toxins contained in these mushrooms. It would also be an interesting subject for a doctoral thesis,” she argues.
Two deaths to date in Quebec
Year after year, a few dozen people have to be treated after eating poisonous wild mushrooms. The most serious cases are usually attributable to amanitas, particularly the white species, lepiotes, and galerines. The luminous clitocybes, sometimes confused with the popular chanterelle mushrooms, and the gyromitre are also species that occasionally lead to a visit to the hospital.
PHOTO ANDRÉ PICHETTE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
The amanita virus, a widespread species, is responsible for one of the deaths that have occurred to date in Quebec.
The amanita virus and the amanita bisporigene have been implicated in the two deaths known to date in Quebec. They cause degradation of the liver which sometimes requires a transplant. Kidney problems often ensue and the patient is left with permanent sequelae.
I’m still flabbergasted to realize that even today, people get poisoned by eating mushrooms. If you can’t identify or have an expert identify a specimen, don’t eat it. Otherwise, you are playing Russian roulette.
Patrice Dauzet, Vice-President for Scientific Affairs of the Circle of Mycologists of Montreal
“To intoxicate yourself with the luminous clitocybe, for example, you really have to do it on purpose,” insists Mr. Dauzet.
The expert explains that while mushroom hunting is enjoyable and rewarding, identifying them is often more complex than you might think. He also reminds us that a mushroom can cause gastric problems in some people even if it is considered edible. A mushroom should never be eaten raw, only one species is cooked at a time (this facilitates identification if there is a problem) and always very fresh specimens. “Beware of wild mushrooms sold on stalls,” he says.
PHOTO BERNARD BRAULT, PRESS ARCHIVES
Its delicate citrus scent and delicious taste make the chanterelle one of the most popular mushrooms.
The recipe for having fun and avoiding problems? Be part of a club of mycologists, participate in excursions with experts, always focus on easy-to-identify species first, consult more than one identification guide, dwell on descriptions of the exceptional site of Mycoquébec which has countless photos, more than 23,000, of the 3392 species listed here.
Mr. Dauzet also attacks the managers of more and more public spaces for prohibiting the picking of mushrooms, a policy that harms contact with nature and sometimes results from a lack of scientific knowledge. “A mushroom is like an apple in its apple tree. The fungus is the fruiting body of the mycelium that lives underground. Of course, when you pick apples, it doesn’t affect the apple tree. Same situation for boletus or chanterelle. »
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