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Rise in Bay Area Wild Mushroom Poisonings May Be Linked to Wet Winter: Poison Control

A rise in the number of wild mushroom poisonings in the Bay Area may be linked to our wet winter, state officials said.

The California Poison Control System says 14 cases were reported in five counties in December. Three of the victims required liver transplants. The youngest victim was just 18 months old.

Poison control says it usually sees just a few cases of so-called "death cap" mushroom poisonings each year. Experts say the abundance of rain likely caused more of the wild mushrooms to sprout.

Doctors say symptoms don't appear for many hours, and by then the toxicity is often absorbed into the liver.

"It can destroy your liver in a few days," Dr. Craig Smollin said. "The other issue is there is no good antidote."

Doctors advise not eating wild mushrooms unless you are professionally trained to identify them.

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