Sonoma county resident dies after eating wild mushroom, officials say
SONOMA COUNTY, Calif. (KGO) -- All that rain is fueling a surge in mushrooms sprouting across the Bay Area including some fatal fungi.A person died this weekend after eating toxic "death cap mushrooms" - and dozens more have gotten sick.Several big foraging festivals are planned this month. Experts offer some important reminders on staying safe.Many people enjoy checking out mushrooms around the Bay Area after it rains.MORE: 1 killed, more than 20 poisoned by death cap mushrooms in California, officials say There are a couple of mushroom events in the area coming up like Sycamore Grove Mushroom Madness in Livermore on January 18.Debbie Viess is co-founder of the Bay Area Mycological Society and an organizer of the event."It's great to learn how to forage for mushrooms if that is your interest," said Viess. "We teach people how to see mushrooms."But Viess says, if you plan to eat wild mushrooms, leave it up to the experts to pick them.This past weekend, one Sonoma County resident died after eating wild mushrooms.According to Sonoma County Department of Health Services, there were 35 cases of wild mushroom poisoning statewide, including three deaths and three liver transplants between November 18 and January 4."Nobody should be eating them until they really know and understand them and that takes time and effort," said Viess.Viess and her colleagues have developed a warning poster in Spanish to warn people about mushroom poisonings, especially among immigrant populations in Salinas.In Salinas, a number of people have gotten seriously sick."He's really sick. It's life or death is what they told me," said Laura Marcelino of Salinas.She and her husband Carlos got sick after cooking and eating wild mushrooms that they gathered during their family hike in Salinas in November. She recovered but Carlos ended up needing a liver transplant. He got one and is now recovering.Experts warn that washing, cooking, and preparing poisonous mushrooms does not neutralize the toxins. If you eat them, you are in grave danger."We're just trying to get the word out working with the California Dept. of Public Health to let people know that mushroom foraging is hazardous and we really don't recommend doing it," said Rais Vohra. He's Medical Director with the California Poison Control System."We are really concerned about the poisonous mushrooms that are out there in the Bay Area," Said Vohra. "When people injest the death cap mushroom, unlike other types of food poisoning, you don't get immediately sick. You only get sick 6 hours, 12 hours. Sometimes people don't even come in for 24 hours." He says some people end up needing liver transplants. Some people end up dying from eating poisonous mushrooms.Experts say the best way to stay safe is not to eat wild mushrooms."If you want to enjoy wild mushrooms, please go to the farmers market, the grocery stores. Some of these fungi festivals will give you better information than going out into the wild and doing this yourself," said Vohra.Copyright © 2026 KGO-TV. All Rights Reserved.
