‘Extremely poisonous’ mushrooms suspectedThe symptoms suffered by Patterson’s guests are consistent with poisoning by death cap mushrooms, Thomas said, though toxicology reports are yet to show exactly what they consumed. Victoria Health issued a warning about death cap mushrooms (Amanita phalloides) in April, describing them as “extremely poisonous” and listing symptoms of consumption including violent stomach pains, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Native to Europe, death cap mushrooms were first confirmed in Australia in the 1960s, and they almost always grow near introduced trees, namely oaks, according to Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Toxins in death cap mushrooms cannot be destroyed by boiling, cooking, freezing, or drying and eating only a small portion can lead to death. “Obviously a lot of the items that we have seized will be forensically tested in the hope that can shed some light on what has occurred at the lunch,” Thomas said.

Source: CNN August 09, 2023 19:45 UTC