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Daily Mirror
7 days ago
- General
- Daily Mirror
Creeping effects of death cap mushrooms as murder trial continues
Erin Patterson is accused of deliberately adding the deadly fungi to a meal served to her estranged husband's family Death cap mushrooms have been thrust into the spotlight as an ongoing murder trial in Australia hones in on a toxic Beef Wellington created by Erin Patterson. While the prosecution claims she included the mushrooms deliberately, Ms Patterson denies this with her team claiming it was a 'terrible accident' according to the BBC. She served the toxic beef wellington at her home in July 2023, with the death of her former in-laws Don and Gail Patterson as well as Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson following days after the lunch. Heather's husband Ian Wilkinson was hospitalised but survived. You only need to eat a small amount of the deadly mushroom for it to be fatal. Those who have tried it and survived say it has a pleasant taste. After eating the mushroom, it can sometimes take up to 12 hours for symptoms to start. At the beginning, this may include nausea, vomiting and low blood pressure. Around 24 hours after eating the mushroom, the symptoms can completely disappear according to the BC CDC. You may feel fine for days but the real symptoms are still lying in wait. The toxins in the mushroom prevent cells from carrying out essential functions, and the toxin isn't destroyed by cooking or drying. It mainly targets the liver, slowly making it stop functioning and die after a period of time. Up to seven days after eating death caps, you'll begin to experience the symptoms of kidney and liver damage. Around this time encephalopathy can also develop, which impacts brain function and can cause permanent damage. If left untreated, death can occur soon after this point. Death cap mushrooms can sometimes be found in city environments and it's fairly common in most parts of the UK, Ireland and Europe according to the Woodland Trust. The mushrooms produce circles of fruiting bodies known as fairy rings which have been incorporated into folklore over the centuries. There are few effective treatments for death cap poisoning. It can range from pumping the stomach to activated charcoal and severe cases may even require a liver transplant. Silibinin can be used to treat the poisoning but usually needs to be given before initial symptoms start to be effective. In 2023, a medical imaging dye was found to block the toxin's effects but it is yet to be tested in humans. Known scientifically as Amanita phalloides, the death cap is responsible for about 90% of mushroom-related deaths across the world. It can easily be mistaken for a variety of edible mushrooms. It can grow up to 15cm wide and 15cm tall with a white cap and an off-white stem. The gills underneath the cap start off as pure white and turn into creams and pinks as the fungus ages. Its cap is dome-shaped when it's young and flattens out as it matures, turning darker in the middle too. It's virtually odourless when young and can smell sickly sweet or even rancid when old. The base of the mushroom is swollen, making it look like it's sitting in a little bag. One incredibly similar mushroom is the false death cap, which is edible according to the Woodland Trust and smells strongly of raw potatoes. However, because of its striking similarities to the real death cap it's best to avoid this mushroom too.
1News
07-05-2025
- 1News
Court hears from medics in fatal mushroom lunch trial
Nurses and doctors have detailed how Don and Gail Patterson's health deteriorated after consuming a poisonous mushroom lunch cooked by their former daughter-in-law. Erin Patterson, 50, on Wednesday faces the seventh day of her triple murder trial in regional Victoria, after pleading not guilty to all offences against her. She is charged with the murder of Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson, 66, along with the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson. Patient transport officer Cindy Hyde said she travelled to Don and Gail's home in Korumburra, 120km southeast of Melbourne, about 9.15am the day after the death cap mushroom-laced beef Wellington lunch. Don told her they had eaten a "beef stroganoff" and the couple had been vomiting and suffered diarrhoea for about eight hours, she said. "We identified at that stage they had gastric symptoms related to food poisoning," Hyde told the jury on Tuesday. Simon Patterson tells the court about their strained relationship and turning down an invite to the fatal lunch. (Source: 1News) Don was so unwell he needed to be loaded into the ambulance in a stretcher as she drove them three minutes to Korumburra Hospital, Hyde said. When they arrived at urgent care, about 10am on July 30, registered nurse Lisa Shannon said it was clear "Don was considerably sicker than Gail". She said Don's condition deteriorated and the hospital decided he required an immediate transfer to a "tertiary hospital", where he could get a higher level of care. The couple was taken to Dandenong Hospital in Melbourne, where Beth Morgan was the on-call doctor. She said Don reported he had vomited "30 to 40 times" since midnight. After trying several treatments, doctors realised Don was not suffering food poisoning and referred to a toxicology registrar who suggested "Amanita", or death cap mushroom, poisoning was more likely the cause of his illness. Erin Patterson, 50, is accused of killing her former in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson. (Source: 1News) Dr Morgan said she tried to source the antidote, Silibinin, from the hospital's pharmacy and was told they did not have any available and would need to obtain it from an external hospital. She then called Leongatha Hospital, where Ian and Heather Wilkinson were being seen and recommended treatment before they were transferred to Dandenong. Ian Wilkinson, who was also called as a witness on Tuesday, said the last thing he remembered was being given a "charcoal substance to drink" at Dandenong Hospital. All lunch guests were transferred to the Austin Hospital. Wilkinson made a full recovery and was discharged on September 21, but his wife Heather and her sister Gail died on August 4 and Don died on August 5. The trial before Justice Christopher Beale continues.
9 News
06-05-2025
- Health
- 9 News
Medics reveal final days of alleged mushroom lunch victims
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here Nurses and doctors have detailed how Don and Gail Patterson's health deteriorated after allegedly consuming a poisonous mushroom lunch cooked by their former daughter-in-law. Erin Patterson, 50, on Wednesday faces the seventh day of her triple murder trial in regional Victoria, after pleading not guilty to all offences against her. She is charged with the murder of Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson, 66, along with the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson. Don and Gail Patterson died after consuming poisonous mushrooms. (Supplied) Patient transport officer Cindy Hyde said she travelled to Don and Gail's home in Korumburra, 120km southeast of Melbourne, about 9.15am the day after the alleged death cap mushroom-laced beef Wellington lunch. Don told her they had eaten a "beef stroganoff" and the couple had been vomiting and suffered diarrhoea for about eight hours, she said. "We identified at that stage they had gastric symptoms related to food poisoning," Hyde told the jury on Tuesday. Erin Patterson has been charged with three counts of murder. (Jason South) Don was so unwell he needed to be loaded into the ambulance in a stretcher as she drove them three minutes to Korumburra Hospital, Hyde said. When they arrived at urgent care, about 10am on July 30, registered nurse Lisa Shannon said it was clear "Don was considerably sicker than Gail". She said Don's condition deteriorated and the hospital decided he required an immediate transfer to a "tertiary hospital", where he could get a higher level of care. Ian Wilkinson spoke in court yesterday. (Jason South) The couple was taken to Dandenong Hospital in Melbourne, where Beth Morgan was the on-call doctor. She said Don reported he had vomited "30 to 40 times" since midnight. After trying several treatments, doctors realised Don was not suffering food poisoning and referred to a toxicology registrar who suggested "Amanita", or death cap mushroom, poisoning was more likely the cause of his illness. Morgan said she tried to source the antidote, Silibinin, from the hospital's pharmacy and was told they did not have any available and would need to obtain it from an external hospital. She then called Leongatha Hospital, where Ian and Heather Wilkinson were being seen and recommended treatment before they were transferred to Dandenong. Ian Wilkinson, who was also called as a witness yesterday, said the last thing he remembered was being given a "charcoal substance to drink" at Dandenong Hospital. All lunch guests were transferred to the Austin Hospital. Mr Wilkinson made a full recovery and was discharged on September 21, but his wife Heather and her sister Gail died on August 4 and Don died on August 5. The trial before Justice Christopher Beale continues. courts crime Victoria Australia national CONTACT US
Perth Now
06-05-2025
- Perth Now
Medics reveal final days of mushroom lunch victims
Nurses and doctors have detailed how Don and Gail Patterson's health deteriorated after consuming a poisonous mushroom lunch cooked by their former daughter-in-law. Erin Patterson, 50, on Wednesday faces the seventh day of her triple murder trial in regional Victoria, after pleading not guilty to all offences against her. She is charged with the murder of Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson, 66, along with the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson. Patient transport officer Cindy Hyde said she travelled to Don and Gail's home in Korumburra, 120km southeast of Melbourne, about 9.15am the day after the death cap mushroom-laced beef Wellington lunch. Don told her they had eaten a "beef stroganoff" and the couple had been vomiting and suffered diarrhoea for about eight hours, she said. "We identified at that stage they had gastric symptoms related to food poisoning," Ms Hyde told the jury on Tuesday. Don was so unwell he needed to be loaded into the ambulance in a stretcher as she drove them three minutes to Korumburra Hospital, Ms Hyde said. When they arrived at urgent care, about 10am on July 30, registered nurse Lisa Shannon said it was clear "Don was considerably sicker than Gail". She said Don's condition deteriorated and the hospital decided he required an immediate transfer to a "tertiary hospital", where he could get a higher level of care. The couple was taken to Dandenong Hospital in Melbourne, where Beth Morgan was the on-call doctor. She said Don reported he had vomited "30 to 40 times" since midnight. After trying several treatments, doctors realised Don was not suffering food poisoning and referred to a toxicology registrar who suggested "Amanita", or death cap mushroom, poisoning was more likely the cause of his illness. Dr Morgan said she tried to source the antidote, Silibinin, from the hospital's pharmacy and was told they did not have any available and would need to obtain it from an external hospital. She then called Leongatha Hospital, where Ian and Heather Wilkinson were being seen and recommended treatment before they were transferred to Dandenong. Ian Wilkinson, who was also called as a witness on Tuesday, said the last thing he remembered was being given a "charcoal substance to drink" at Dandenong Hospital. All lunch guests were transferred to the Austin Hospital. Mr Wilkinson made a full recovery and was discharged on September 21, but his wife Heather and her sister Gail died on August 4 and Don died on August 5. The trial before Justice Christopher Beale continues.
