Una intossicazione collettiva da Clitocybe amoenolens riconducibile alla sindrome acromelalgica

Here we report a case of collective mushroom poisoning caused by Clitocybe amoenolens, which occurred in September 2002 in the city of Avezzano (AQ) - Abruzzo, Italy. Eight individuals were affected and asked for medical care; for one of these the hospitalisation was necessary. All the patients referred the same violent burning pain and oedema to the extremities of the limbs, more or less severe according to the quantity of mushrooms ingested, suggesting the diagnosis of erythromelalgia (acromelalgic syndrome). This syndrome is well characterized by the late appearance of the symptoms, the absence of early gastro-enteric symptoms, its duration and the inefficacy of common analgesics. The pain is worsened by the heat and soothed by cold. emphasized by heat and contact while they are reduced by cold. No pathologic variations of physiological parameters are observed. The syndrome resolves spontaneously, but over a very long time period (>3 months). The acromelic acids contained in Clitocybe acromelalga, the Oriental species (Japan and South Korea) that produces the same toxic damage, are suspected culprits of this syndrome. Here, we consider the aspects concerning the chronology of the cases found in this territory, the taxonomy of the mushroom species and the clinical picture of the toxic syndrome. This is seemingly the first documented case of Clitocybe amoenolens poisoning in Italy.

Viene riportato il caso di un’intossicazione collettiva provocata dall’ingestione di Clitocybe amoenolens, verificatasi nel settembre del 2002 ad Avezzano (AQ). Vengono presi in esame aspetti relativi alla cronologia dei casi riscontrati negli anni in questo territorio, alla tassonomia della specie in questione e al quadro clinico dell’intossicazione . Da quanto risulta, si tratterebbe del primo caso documentato di avvelenamento da C. amoenolens in Italia.