The characteristics of liver injury induced by Amanita and clinical value of α-amanitin detection

Background: Amanita poisoning as a foodborne disease has raised concerning mortality issues. Reducing the interval between mushroom ingestion and medical intervention could greatly influence the outcomes of Amanita poisoning patients, while treatment is highly dependent on a confirmed diagnosis. To this end, we developed an early detection-guided intervention strategy by optimizing diagnostic process with performing alpha-amanitin detection, and further explored whether this strategy influenced the progression of Amanita poisoning. Methods: This study was a retrospective analysis of 25 Amanita poisoning patients. Thirteen patients in the detection group were diagnosed mainly based on alpha-amanitin detection, and 12 patients were diagnosed essentially on the basis of mushroom consumption history, typical clinical patterns and mushroom identification (conventional group). Amanita poisoning patients received uniform therapy, in which plasmapheresis was executed once confirming the diagnosis of Amanita poisoning. We compared the demographic baseline, clinical and laboratory data, treatment and outcomes between the two groups, and further explored the predictive value of alpha-amanitin concentration in serum. Results: Liver injury induced by Amanita appeared worst at the fourth day and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) rose higher than aspartate aminotransferase (AST). The mortality rate was 7.7% (1/13) in the detection group and 50.0% (6/12) in the conventional group (P = 0.030), since patients in the detection group arrived hospital much earlier and received plasmapheresis at the early stage of disease. The early detection-guided intervention helped alleviate liver impairment caused by Amanita and decreased the peak AST as well as ALT. However, the predictive value of alpha-amanitin concentration in serum was still considered limited. Conclusions: In the management of mushroom poisoning, consideration should be given to the rapid detection of alpha-amanitin in suspected Amanita poisoning patients and the immediate initiation of medical treatment upon a positive toxin screening result. (C) 2022 First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine in China. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study aimed to develop an early detection-guided intervention strategy for Amanita poisoning patients by optimizing the diagnostic process. The results showed that early detection helped alleviate liver impairment caused by Amanita and reduced the severity of the disease.