arstechnica.com
A third person has died in a mushroom poisoning outbreak in California, where toxic “death cap” mushrooms are booming this season. The rash of poisonings since November has sickened 35 people; three others have needed liver transplants.
Health officials attribute the spike to early rains and a mild fall, which have flourishingly amplified the presence of these deadly mushrooms, which normally cause fewer than five poisonings a year in the state. The mushrooms contain amatoxins that cause liver failure. Officials warn that foraging without expert identification is unsafe, as harmful varieties closely resemble edible ones.
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