Pair ill after eating toxic treat

A Te Aroha man is in a critical condition in Auckland Hospital and may need a liver transplant after he and his 3-year-old son ate death cap mushrooms - one of the most toxic in the world.

The man and his son, who is in a stable condition in Starship Children's Hospital, were understood to be recent immigrants from Vietnam. They picked the death cap mushrooms from their garden on Sunday.

The incident has prompted warnings from medical experts for people gathering mushrooms to be extremely careful and only eat those they are 100 per cent sure about or to abandon the practice altogether.

Landcare Research mycologist (mushroom expert) Dr Peter Johnston, said the mushroom (amanita phalloides) had been introduced to New Zealand and was one of the most poisonous in the world. It was typically found growing among the roots of chestnut and oak trees.

It was a yellowish, white colour with white gills but could appear like a puffball in its early stages.

Specimens had been found in the North Island - specifically in Auckland Domain, Hamilton and Cambridge - and tended to reappear in the same place in autumn.

Dr Johnston said the death cap could grow to about 10cm in diameter but initially looked like a puffball, which some people ate. It was also similar in appearance to several edible mushrooms found overseas.

"These ones, because of the places they grow and their superficial appearance to other edible mushrooms, they are the one that are most commonly confused."

The toxin in the mushroom stopped human cells dividing, affecting organs such as the liver and sometimes the kidneys.

Dunedin-based National Poison Centre toxicologist John Fountain said about six to 10 hours after eating the mushrooms a person would suffer severe vomiting and diarrhoea. Often there was a period of recovery before liver failure.

The damage to the liver depended on the amount of mushroom consumed. One mouthful could be lethal for a child while one mushroom could kill an adult. In some cases it could result in the need for a liver transplant.

An Auckland Hospital spokeswoman said the boy may be able to go home today but Waikato Hospital gastroenterologist Tony Smith said the boy's father would need a liver transplant.

Dr Fountain said there had been a small number of other poisoning cases but it was not known if there had been any fatalities in New Zealand.

"The take home message is for people to be extremely cautious because mistakes do happen," he said.

- additional reporting NZPA