Press Release
CHP investigates case of food poisoning
3 February 2016
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is today (February 3) investigating a suspected food poisoning case involving three persons who had eaten porcini mushrooms.
The three patients, two men and a woman aged 23 to 52, presented with vomiting, diarrhoea, nausea, abdominal pain and fever three to five hours after having a dinner with porcini mushrooms purchased from a department store in Tai Po and cooked at home on January 15. One of the male patients sought medical consultation and none of them required hospitalisation. They have been in stable condition all along.
Investigation revealed that the uncooked mushroom samples contained a mixture of edible species and inedible or poisonous species.
The case has been referred to the This link will open in a new windowCentre for Food Safety of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department for follow-up. The case is still under investigation.
"Mushroom poisoning is generally acute. Common presentations include gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain appearing shortly after ingestion. Depending on the mushroom species, patients may also have other symptoms like profuse sweating, illusion, hallucination, coma or other neurological symptoms, as well as liver failure. Death may result in severe cases," a CHP spokesman said.
"We advise the public to buy mushrooms from reputable and reliable suppliers and not to buy mushroom products which may be mixed with unknown species. Members of the public should not pick wild mushrooms for consumption as it is difficult to distinguish edible mushroom species from inedible ones. Mixing of edible species with inedible or poisonous species of mushroom will not dilute toxicity. Cooking in most cases does not destroy toxicity," the spokesman added.
"If mushroom poisoning is suspected, the patient should seek immediate medical attention and bring along any available remnant for identification," the spokesman said.