Subject: Poisonings in the Ukraine

From: [email-masked] ("Stephen P. Bentivenga")
Date: 2 Oct 1996 14:37:21 -0700

Mycophiles:

This morning my local newspaper (the Oshkosh Northwestern) printed a very
brief article which it obtained from the AP wire.  The article, in it's
entirety, is below:

"Poisonous mushrooms have killed 92 people and left more than 1,100
hospitalized in the deadliest mushroom season in years.  Doctors blame the
surge in poisonings on economic hardships, which are forcing more and more
Ukrainians to search for wild mushrooms to eat.  Poisonings frequently occur
when people mistake a deadly white mushroom common in Ukraine for harmless
champignons."

Can anyone verify the truthfullness of this report?  What is the fungus (or
fungi) involved.  At first I thought of Amanita phalloides, but the text
mentions a "white" mushroom.  What about Amanita virosa, A. ocreata, or a
similar species??  Do these occur in the Ukraine?
____________________________________________________________
                                
      ___/^,       Stephen P. Bentivenga, Ph.D.
     ;      ^'--.    Department of Biology & Microbiology
    :            -:    University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
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From: [email-masked] (Keith Klein)
Date: 3 Oct 1996 16:12:25 GMT

>similar species??  Do these occur in the Ukraine?

Dear Steve:
Yes its all too true. The number of poisonings throughout the former USSR 
is very high, and for the factors given. The cultivated mushroom industry 
is still in its infancy there. I have been over there to consult with growers,
and the amount of production is still way below demand. Also, the cost of
mushrooms in some places is very high, way beyond the average family's
means. What's worse is that some inexperienced mushroom gatherers sell 
their extra harvest in the local markets, helping to increase the poisoning
rate. I've been served some dubious soup myself, and I always decline to eat
it!

Keith Klein
Dept. of Biological Sciences
Mankato State University
Mankato, MN 56002
507-389-5490