Four dead from death cap mushroom poisoning in California as urgent warning issued

Four people have died and three others have required a liver transplants after eating the death cap mushroom

Four people have died after a death cap mushroom outbreak in California

Four individuals have died and three others have required life-saving liver transplants in California after consuming the highly toxic death cap mushroom, which has proliferated across the state following a period of heavy rainfall.

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has issued an urgent warning, advising residents to avoid mushroom foraging entirely this year, as the deadly fungi are easily mistaken for safe, edible varieties.

Since 18 November, more than three dozen cases of mushroom poisoning have been reported, including the four fatalities and three liver transplants, according to the health department.

Many who sought medical attention suffered from rapidly progressing acute liver injury and subsequent liver failure, with several patients requiring admission to an intensive care unit. Victims have ranged in age from 19 months to 67 years old.

"This greatly exceeds the typical report of less than 5 cases of mushroom poisonings a year," the department stated in its public health warning.

US Poison Centers reported handling 2,315 mushroom exposures between September 2025 and January 2026 – a 40 per cent increase compared to the same period in the previous year. It is important to note that not all exposures result in illness or poisoning.

Experts caution that a mushroom’s colour is not a reliable indicator of its toxicity, and whether the death cap variety is consumed raw, dried, or cooked makes no difference to its lethal properties.

The California Department of Health has issued an urgent warning

Laura Marcelino, 36, recounted to the San Francisco Chronicle how her family in Salinas, Northern California, gathered mushrooms that resembled those she and her husband used to forage in their native Oaxaca, a state in Southern Mexico. "We thought it was safe," Ms Marcelino said in Spanish.

The following day, her husband felt dizzy and tired, but Ms Marcelino felt fine. They consumed the mushrooms again, heated in a soup with tortillas, while their children, who dislike mushrooms, did not partake.

Both adults, who are seasonal farmworkers, became ill with vomiting the next day and stayed home from work. Ms Marcelino spent five days in hospital, while her husband ultimately required a liver transplant.

Symptoms of toxic mushroom ingestion can include stomach cramping, nausea, diarrhoea, or vomiting within 24 hours, and the situation can rapidly deteriorate. Experts warn that early symptoms may subside within a day, but severe to fatal liver damage can still develop within two to three days.

Death cap mushrooms have been found in local and national parks across Northern California and the Central Coast, with clusters identified in the Monterey and San Francisco Bay areas.

The public health department noted that many of those poisoned have been Spanish, Mixteco, and Mandarin Chinese speakers. In response, the state has expanded its warnings in multiple languages, with Spanish being the primary language for over 60 per cent of those affected.

Children have been among the victims this year. Officials advise vigilance over children and pets in outdoor areas where mushrooms grow, and recommend purchasing mushrooms only from trusted grocery stores and sellers.

Treatment becomes significantly more challenging once symptoms manifest, so doctors urge individuals to seek medical care immediately if they suspect they have eaten a poisonous mushroom.

For emergency poisoning or questions about mushrooms, US Poison Control Centers can be reached at 1-800-222-1222 or via PoisonHelp.org.