A dozen workers in Fuyong and Shajing subdistricts have been poisoned by a species of mushroom they had collected on a hiking trip in Fenghuang Mountain in Bao an District, Shenzhen.
Three were in a critical condition and were receiving treatment at Shenzhen No. 3 People s Hospital. A woman surnamed Xiao, who was still in a coma, had suffered from nausea, diarrhea and stomach cramp along with four others after they shared mushroom soup Sunday, according to Xiao s brother.
Doctors said Xiao and two others have suffered serious liver damage as a result of eating poisoned mushrooms.
Doctors haven t ruled out the possibility of a liver transplant.
This was the second mushroom poisoning case in one week following an incident March 15, which caused five workers to be hospitalized. Mushrooms thrive in the seasons of March and April due to the rise in temperature and high humidity.
The city s center for disease control and prevention (CDC) warned residents, as well as the owners of restaurants and canteens, to be aware of the dangers of gathering and eating mushrooms at this time of year.
Poisoned mushrooms contain a variety of toxins that vary in toxicity.
Symptoms of mushroom poisoning may vary from a gastric upset to life-threatening organ failure resulting in death, the CDC said. Symptoms do not always occur immediately after eating; often not until the toxin attacks the kidney or liver, sometimes days or weeks later.
Of the thousands of mushroom species in the world, only 32 have been associated with fatalities, and an additional 52 have been identified as containing significant toxins, the CDC said.
(By Han Ximin, Wan Dong)
