Gabriel Moreno, professor and expert on mushrooms from the University of Alcalá, along with other French researchers and others from the University of Seville, They discovered a poisonous and deadly mushroom that belongs to its family. Amanita phalloides who was called widowed amanita.
The clue that made it possible to discover this new poisonous mushroom of the genus Amanita comes from the seasonal nature of the poisoning. Amanita phalloides It is known as one of the most deadly to humans and bears fruit in autumn mainly in holm oak, cork oak, oak and pine forests.
Unfortunately, poisonings with this mushroom occur every year and if the person is not treated in the hospital immediately, he dies because he may need a liver transplant even if he is treated. But For years, there had been a series of white fungus poisonings in the spring that baffled scientists.
A similar venomous species called fly agaricIt means ‘spring amanita’, but it was unclear whether it was really this species or another, so the team of researchers set out to conduct research that guided them. ten years of work Collaboration between different research institutes.
“Thus, we describe a new hitherto unidentified toadstool. very similar to ‘gurumelo’ or ponderosa fly agarica highly appreciated mushroom in western AndalusiaIt has led to the confusion and poisoning described by local doctors, especially in Huelva and in the south of Extremadura (Badajoz) and Portugal (Ribatejo and Alentejo),” explains the professor.
Thanks to different techniques, it was possible to compare this new type. Amanita phalloides Y Avernabe as toxic as before. Thanks to molecular techniques, they concluded that two morphologically very similar species coexisted in the spring, one of which was the well-known species. fly agaric and the other is new widowed amanitai.e. widowed. They both like the Mediterranean climate and live in holm oak and cork oak orchards on the Iberian Peninsula.
“Also, we check new type, contains active ingredients alpha and beta amanitins, exactly the same Amanita phalloides of autumn These principles attack the liver, and the person who eats them suffers from late incubation syndrome, with the first symptoms appearing six or eight hours after ingestion, with severe vomiting and later pain leading to liver failure,” explains Professor Moreno.
The only way to distinguish poisonous mushrooms is to attend conferences of mycological societies and consult experts, since any edible mushroom has different toxic relatives similar to it. For this reason people confuse each other. Experience brings the wisdom of picking the mushroom so that the volva can be seen well, it should be fully exposed and reactions applied as with potash. But my advice Do not consume when unknown”, advises the specialist.
Reference work: https://doi.org/10.3390/biology11050770
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