Three in critical condition after eating death cap mushrooms

Bydgoszcz - Two members of a family and a friend in Poland are currently in a critical condition in hospital after mistakenly eating the "death cap" mushroom.

Having picked the mushrooms in error, a 48-year old father from the city Bydgoszcz in northern Poland cooked and served them up in a dish which included other mushrooms. He, his daughter and her boyfriend all ate the mushrooms. A few hours later all three were admitted to hospital suffering from severe stomach ache and diarrhoea. The daughter, 19-years old, is currently waiting for a life saving liver transplant. The 20-year old boyfriend, who is currently in hospital in Szczecin, north west Poland, received a liver transplant. The death cap mushroom (amanita phalloides) is found across much of Europe and hit Polish headlines last month when a six-year old boy called Tomak received a liver transplant after eating the mushrooms. People who eat these mushrooms will not automatically suffer symptoms. The toxins in the mushrooms take several hours to produce noticeable symptoms but in those hours the toxins are generally causing severe and potentially fatal damage to internal organs. Those have been poisoned may feel a colic type pain and experience severe diarrhoea and vomiting. The toxins can cause severe, often fatal liver damage and renal failure among illnesses. Death will normally occur between 6-16 days after ingestion and poisoning. Poland usually sees around 50 death per year from people eating death cap mushrooms.