Rabu, Jun 16, 2010

Wet weather prompts mushroom bloom in Minnesota

And whatever you do, don't eat 'em — they can make you sick
.
By Dave Orrick

.
Minnesota's June monsoon has led to a mushroom boom and a flood of calls to the state's poison control hotline.
.
In the past two weeks, as a curtain of dampness enveloped much of the state and fungi sprouted, the Minnesota Poison Control System has received more than 50 calls related to mushroom-eating, said Dr. David Roberts, the system's medical director.
.
The usual number this time of year: zero.
.
No serious illnesses have been reported. Although those little brown toadstools in your yard are considered inedible, they don't generally cause more than an upset stomach ... and upset parents.
.
"The symptoms have ranged from nausea to diarrhea to no symptoms," Roberts said. Those 'no symptoms' are from parents whose children played around in a patch of mushrooms and maybe took a bite, prompting a call to the hot line.
Calling the 24-hour hot line — 800-222-1222 — is the right thing to do, he said. "With mushrooms, it's always better to be safe."
.
The wet weather has prompted shroom blooms in normally sunny areas where residents might never have seen mushrooms before, but Roberts said the fungus is actually always present in the soil throughout the state.
.
"It doesn't need to sprout regularly to survive," he said. "But you get the right conditions, and it will sprout for sure. Like now."
.
Doctors generally refer to the mushrooms in question simply as "LBMs," for "little brown mushrooms," and in most cases, the advice after having just a bite is to simply keep an eye on the muncher. Only one of the 50 calls was linked to a patient sick enough to be referred to a hospital.
.
The other potentially troublesome mushroom this time of year is a possible look-alike to the coveted morel. The morel-picking season is winding down, and so far no poisonings have been reported. The most dangerous mushroom in Minnesota is arguably the amanita bisporedia, or "destroying angels," which grows in the fall and can be fatal. It has led to deaths locally among southeast Asians who confuse it with a similar-looking but safe mushroom from southeast Asia.
.
DON'T EAT THE MUSHROOMS
.
The little brown mushrooms in your yard are NOT edible. If your kids eat one, call the Minnesota Poison Control System's hotline: 800-222-1222.
.
--- Twincities

Tiada ulasan:

a> Related Posts with Thumbnails