Liver and kidney toxicity caused by wild mushroom poisoning

Plasma exchange was performed along with treatments including 20% albumin, high-dose penicillin, N-acetylcysteine injection and Ganoderma lucidum. The patient's grandmother and aunt consumed the other half of the same mushroom (Fig a) and other mushrooms (Fig b and c), and both were admitted to hospital with serious vomiting, diarrhoea and mild abdominal pain. Prognosis is often poor for patients with long incubation period of gastrointestinal symptoms ([greater than]6 hr), early manifestations of liver and kidney dysfunction, and multiple organ dysfunction.3 4Plasma exchange effectively removes hepatotoxins and improves survival, drugs such as silybin, N-acetylcysteine, putatively ceftazidime/penicillin and Ganoderma lucidum can also have a significant benefit.5 Ganoderma lucidum contains triterpenoids that can protect the liver and reduce oxidative stress and apoptosis.