Undercooked Morel Mushrooms Could Be the Reason Why 2 Have Died, 51 Have Fallen Sick in Fungus Outbreak in Montana, CDC Reveals

Montana has seen a deadly fungus outbreak as 51 individuals got sick with gastrointestinal illness and 2 individuals ended up dying. Now, it has been identified that undercooked morel mushrooms could be the culprit.

Fungus Outbreak in Montana

Scientists from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have conducted an investigation after customers at Dave's Sushi reportedly experienced vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, and abdominal pain shortly after they had their meals in the restaurant.

Their investigation discovered that undercooked morel mushrooms were the culprit. Though these mushrooms are not poisonous, the illness was caused by the toxins in the undercooked, edible wild mushrooms.

CDC officials explained that diarrhea and vomiting were reportedly grave. For patients who got hospitalized, they also exhibited clinical dehydration evidence.

During the three weeks when the restaurant served a special sushi roll with morels and salmon in it, 51 people ended up getting sick after they ate there. Three individuals also got hospitalized, while two ended up dying.

The CDC started to look into the apparent outbreak's source after people began to report their conditions in March and April 2023. Officials discovered that between March 27 and April 17, 51 individuals dined in the restaurant.

The special sushi roll included morel mushrooms from China that were imported fresh, not dried.

ALSO READ: Death Cap The Deadliest Fungus That Caused 90% of Fatalities From Mushroom

Undercooked Morel Mushrooms

During interviews with individuals who ate in the diner during the said period, a matched case-control study showed that those who ate morel ended up getting sick. On the other hand, those who did not eat the mushrooms did not get sick.

According to their report, morel mushroom consumption was found to be strongly linked to gastrointestinal illness. They were able to identify a dose-response relationship. Raw morel mushroom consumption was more strongly linked to illness compared to the consumption of partially cooked mushrooms.

The researchers also found that the more people consumed, the sicker they became.

As the investigators tried to know more about the issue, they gathered mushroom samples from the restaurant. They tested their samples for heavy metals, pesticides, toxins, bacteria, and pathogens.

Though it appeared clear that the morels were the source of the illness, all tests yielded negative results. On top of this, six more restaurants that were recipients of the morels from the same vendor did not have any reported illnesses among their customers.

What the investigators discovered was that some individuals ate the morels more cooked, while others ate them undercooked. They observed that individuals who consumed less cooked mushrooms on April 17 had a nine times' higher likelihood of getting sick compared to those who ate partly cooked morels on April 8.

This showed that cooking affected things to a certain extent. These mushrooms have toxins that can lead to illness if they are not cooked properly. Though the exact toxins are still a subject of debate, several think that the mushrooms are loaded with hemolysins, which destroy red blood cells and lead to sickness or even death. However, hemolysins can be destroyed through cooking.

CDC officials note that morel mushrooms need to be thoroughly cooked before they are eaten, as cooking may likely reduce the presence of toxins within the mushrooms.