The case study is to alert all health care workers and the public alike to the dangers of ingesting wild mushrooms. We describe an incidence of Amanita phalloides poisoning in Johannesburg, South Africa, where three different outcomes were experienced. A pregnant mother recovered with conservative management while her unborn foetus died, and her three-yearold daughter required an emergency liver transplant. We outline the clinical course, management options and principles of mushroom identification and toxicology to increase awareness of the presence of Amanita phalloides and its toxic relatives in South Africa. We highlight that early recognition, prompt treatment and referral to a transplant service is life-saving. S Afr J Surg 2019;57(1) http://dx.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.