Public health officials have signed off on an outbreak investigation in Montana saying that morel mushrooms were most likely what made dozens of people sick, even killing two.
In addition to the two deaths, the outbreak traced to Dave’s Sushi in Bozeman sickened more than 50 people and sent 3 to hospitals. People became ill between March 28 and April 17 this year, according to the Gallatin City-County Health Department. The local department worked with the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, as well as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, on the outbreak investigation.
The local health department’s final report, released July 19, said: “Study results indicated that consuming morel mushrooms at the restaurant was strongly associated with developing GI illness. Additionally, individuals who reported consuming a greater quantity of sushi containing morels were more likely to develop illness compared to those who reported consuming fewer pieces.”
Anyone eating, selling, or serving morel mushrooms should use caution when doing so. There are varieties of poisonous wild mushrooms that look very similar to morel mushrooms.
