California Death Cap 'Super Bloom' Causes 4 Deaths and 3 Liver Transplants, Health Officials Urge No Foraging
California health officials warned people not to forage after a warm fall and early rains produced a "super bloom" of death cap mushrooms in city parks and forests—often under oaks—resulting in nearly 40 poisoning cases since Nov. 18, including four deaths and three liver transplants. Patients ranged from 19 months to 67 years and many needed ICU care for acute liver failure; officials said the spike is highly unusual, noted that more than 60% of cases involved Spanish speakers and expanded warnings in Spanish, Mixteco and Mandarin, and cited a Salinas family who mistook death caps for edible Oaxaca mushrooms.
📌 Key Facts
- Since Nov. 18, California has recorded nearly 40 (more than three dozen) death cap mushroom poisoning cases, resulting in four deaths and three liver transplants.
- Patients ranged from 19 months to 67 years old, and many required ICU care for acute liver failure.
- Health officials attribute the spike to a warm fall and early rains that produced a 'super bloom' of death caps in city parks and forests, often growing under oak trees.
- A family in Salinas mistook death caps for edible mushrooms familiar from Oaxaca; both parents were poisoned and the husband required a liver transplant.
- More than 60% of the poisoning cases involved Spanish speakers, prompting expanded warnings in Spanish, Mixteco and Mandarin.
- Dr. Craig Smollin called having nearly 40 cases 'very unusual' compared with the typical two to five cases per year.
📰 Source Timeline (2)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
February 07, 2026
12:33 PM
California urges avoiding wild mushrooms after deaths, liver transplants
New information:
- Confirms four deaths and three liver transplants among more than three dozen death cap poisoning cases in California since Nov. 18.
- Details that patients ranged from 19 months to 67 years old, with many requiring ICU care for acute liver failure.
- Attributes the spike to a warm fall and early rains causing a 'super bloom' of death caps in city parks and forests, often under oak trees.
- Includes a specific family case from Salinas where both parents were poisoned after mistaking death caps for familiar edible mushrooms from Oaxaca, leading to a liver transplant for the husband.
- Notes that more than 60% of poisonings involved Spanish speakers and that Spanish, Mixteco and Mandarin warnings have been expanded accordingly.
- Quotes Dr. Craig Smollin saying having nearly 40 cases is 'very unusual' compared with the typical two to five per year.
February 06, 2026