Man Dies After Eating World’s ‘Deadliest Mushroom’ as California Health Officials Warn of ‘Unprecedented Outbreak’

A man in Contra Costa County, California, has died after consuming wild mushrooms — the fourth reported fatality in recent months as health officials caution residents about a surge in serious poisonings.

County officials said Tuesday, Jan. 27, that the person died after eating wild mushrooms, according to a statement from Contra Costa Health.

The victim was a Hispanic man in his 60s, Dr. Lisa Rodelo, deputy health officer at the county health system, told SFGATE. She urged people to avoid foraging and eating wild mushrooms because poisonous varieties can be easily mistaken for edible ones.

Many wild mushrooms grow throughout California, especially during the rainy season, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) said. Two of the most dangerous are the Death Cap (Amanita phalloides) and the Western Destroying Angel (Amanita ocreata). Officials warn that toxic mushrooms can closely resemble — and even taste like — the types commonly sold in grocery stores.

“Additionally, newly arrived persons to California who are accustomed to foraging in their home country may mistake poisonous mushrooms in California for safe mushrooms foraged or cultivated in their native country,” the agency warned. “Foragers in California face great risk.”

Since Nov. 18, 2025, the CDPH says there have been 39 reported cases of Death Cap mushroom poisoning and four deaths across 10 counties in California.

“California is experiencing an unprecedented outbreak of severe illness and deaths associated with people accidentally picking and eating Death Cap mushrooms,” the CDPH said, noting the agency has issued two advisories since December 2025.

In January, state health officials urged residents to stop foraging for wild mushrooms amid what they believed could be the largest poisoning outbreak of its kind in California, SFGATE reported.

Health officials say the safest option is simple: don’t eat wild mushrooms. People who ingest toxic mushrooms may not develop symptoms right away — sometimes not until six to 24 hours later.

Early signs can include stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and other gastrointestinal symptoms. More severe outcomes can include liver damage (which may require a transplant), seizures, and death, officials said.

Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease expert at UC San Francisco, told SFGATE that Death Cap mushrooms are among the most lethal in the world and cannot be made safe through preparation.

“Cooking or freezing doesn’t actually inactivate the toxin,” she told the outlet, adding that “just like about a half a mushroom can kill someone.”

Anyone who suspects they have eaten a poisonous mushroom should seek medical care immediately or call a local poison control hotline.