Thursday, January 05, 2012

Man who ate death cap mushrooms awaiting liver transplant after two friends die

Herald Sun, Australia
A MAN is awaiting a liver transplant in a Sydney hospital after two of his friends died from eating death cap mushrooms at a New Year's Eve party.

The death cap mushroom closely resembles other edible varieties.

The 51-year-old man remains in a critical but stable condition at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Camperdown.

Four people became ill after eating the poisonous mushrooms at a party to see in the new year in Canberra, but one was discharged from hospital on Tuesday.

A 52-year-old woman and a 38-year-old man were flown to Sydney for treatment but were confirmed dead yesterday.

The other man drove to Sydney after mistakenly consuming the world's most deadly mushrooms.

He took himself to Manly Hospital after experiencing symptoms of poisoning and was transferred to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital yesterday.

A fourth man who ate the poisonous meal, believed to have been prepared by the deceased couple, has recovered.

The four victims, all of Asian background, may have mistaken the death cap mushrooms for an edible variety, paddy straw mushrooms, which are readily found in Asia.

Five people have now died in the ACT from poisoning from death cap mushrooms in the past decade.

In the same period, 15 have been seriously poisoned.

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