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PubMed1992

Uptake and transfer factors of 137Cs by mushrooms.

The 137Cs content of 118 species (668 samples) of higher fungi collected in the period from August 1984 to October 1989 at three different locations in Styria, Austria, was determined by gamma-spectrometry. The Cs-content of most mushrooms has been increasing since September 1986. In order to find out which factors determine the 137Cs-contamination of mushrooms and the transfer-value soil to mushroom, the concentration of total and plant-available radiocesium in soils as well as the pH-value, the content of humus, clay, silt, sand, exchangeable cations, the composition of the clay minerals, and the particle size distribution of the soils of two different locations were examined. The higher the 137Cs contamination of the soil, the thicker the layer of humus and the higher the content of humus, the lower the pH-value, and the lower the amount of essential cations, especially of K+, the higher the amount of 137Cs plant-available will be. Therefore, the contamination of the mushrooms in the coniferous forest of Koralpenblick (1000 m) is higher than in the mixed forest at the Rosenberg around Graz at approx. 500 m height. Of 26 different species of mushrooms measured at both sites, only 61% show the highest TF-values soil to mushrooms also at the Koralpenblick. In the spruce forest at Koralpenblick there are many species of mushrooms with high 137Cs-contamination which were not found at the Rosenberg. However, the properties of the species to which a mushroom belongs are more important than environmental conditions and soil properties. The transfer values of 40K stay within narrow bounds, whereas those of 137Cs differ widely.

Accidents↗
PubMed2002

Medicinal mushrooms as a source of antitumor and immunomodulating polysaccharides.

The number of mushrooms on Earth is estimated at 140,000, yet maybe only 10% (approximately 14,000 named species) are known. Mushrooms comprise a vast and yet largely untapped source of powerful new pharmaceutical products. In particular, and most importantly for modern medicine, they represent an unlimited source of polysaccharides with antitumor and immunostimulating properties. Many, if not all, Basidiomycetes mushrooms contain biologically active polysaccharides in fruit bodies, cultured mycelium, culture broth. Data on mushroom polysaccharides have been collected from 651 species and 7 infraspecific taxa from 182 genera of higher Hetero- and Homobasidiomycetes. These polysaccharides are of different chemical composition, with most belonging to the group of beta-glucans; these have beta-(1-->3) linkages in the main chain of the glucan and additional beta-(1-->6) branch points that are needed for their antitumor action. High molecular weight glucans appear to be more effective than those of low molecular weight. Chemical modification is often carried out to improve the antitumor activity of polysaccharides and their clinical qualities (mostly water solubility). The main procedures used for chemical improvement are: Smith degradation (oxydo-reducto-hydrolysis), formolysis, and carboxymethylation. Most of the clinical evidence for antitumor activity comes from the commercial polysaccharides lentinan, PSK (krestin), and schizophyllan, but polysaccharides of some other promising medicinal mushroom species also show good results. Their activity is especially beneficial in clinics when used in conjunction with chemotherapy. Mushroom polysaccharides prevent oncogenesis, show direct antitumor activity against various allogeneic and syngeneic tumors, and prevent tumor metastasis. Polysaccharides from mushrooms do not attack cancer cells directly, but produce their antitumor effects by activating different immune responses in the host. The antitumor action of polysaccharides requires an intact T-cell component; their activity is mediated through a thymus-dependent immune mechanism. Practical application is dependent not only on biological properties, but also on biotechnological availability. The present review analyzes the pecularities of polysaccharides derived from fruiting bodies and cultured mycelium (the two main methods of biotechnological production today) in selected examples of medicinal mushrooms.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗
PubMed2001

Mating-type genes for basidiomycete strain improvement in mushroom farming.

Mushroom production is dependent on the quality of the spawn used to inoculate the cultures. In order to produce high-quality spawn, breeding programs for strains resistant to certain diseases and able to form high-quality fruit bodies under standard growth conditions are necessary. The investigation of the molecular basis for mating provides access to the use of mating-type genes in order to facilitate breeding. For research purposes, two mushroom-forming homobasidiomycetes have been used due to their easy cultivation and sexual propagation on defined minimal media: Schizophyllum commune and Coprinus cinereus. The mating-type genes control formation of the dikaryon from two haploid strains. Only the dikaryon is fertile and able to form mushrooms under the right environmental conditions. These genes are now used in mating-type-assisted breeding programs for economically important mushrooms, especially the white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus, and the oyster mushroom, Pleurotus ostreatus, aiming at high-yield and high-quality standard mushroom production. Most mushroom species posses two mating-type loci that control their breeding. The genes encoded in the A loci lead to the formation of transcription factors that belong to the class of homeodomain proteins. Active transcription factors are formed by heterodimerization of two proteins of different allelic specificities. In nature, this is only the case if two cells of different mating type have fused to combine the different proteins in one cytoplasm. While fusion in homobasidiomycetes is found irrespectively of mating type, exchange of nuclei between mating mycelia is dependent on the products of the B mating-type loci. The B genes form a pheromone and receptor system that enables the fungi to initiate nuclear migration. The molecular details of the two genetic systems controlling breeding in basidiomycetes are presented in this review.

Basidiomycota↗
PubMed1993

Contribution of phenolic and quinonoid structures in the mutagenicity of the edible mushroom Agaricus bisporus.

The objectives of this work were to establish the contribution of agaritine in the mutagenicity of ethanolic extracts from Agaricus bisporus and to examine the possible involvement of phenolic and quinonoid compounds in the mutagenic response to mushrooms. The mutagenic profile of agaritine in the Ames test, in the absence of an activation system, was different from that of the mushroom ethanolic extracts. Incorporation of rat hepatic cytosolic fractions as the activation system increased the mutagenicity of the mushroom ethanolic extracts in Salmonella typhimurium strain TA 104 but did not influence the mutagenicity of agaritine. It was concluded that agaritine is not the principal mutagenic component in the mushroom. The cytosol-induced mutagenicity of the mushroom extracts required NADPH, and was inhibited by dicoumarol and menadione. Moreover, the mutagenic response in the presence of cytosolic fractions was inhibited by superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione and dimethyl sulfoxide, thus implicating reactive oxygen species. Finally, tyrosinase, the enzyme converting mushroom phenols to quinones, increased the mutagenicity of the mushroom extracts. Collectively, the above results indicate that phenolic and quinonoid compounds, presumably through the generation of reactive oxygen species, may play a significant role in the mutagenicity of mushroom extracts.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Occurrence, stability and decomposition of beta-N [gamma-L(+)-glutamyl]-4-hydroxymethylphenylhydrazine (agaritine) from the mushroom Agaricus bisporus.

A chromatographic technique was developed that could clearly separate beta-N [gamma-L(+)-glutamyl]-4-hydroxymethylphenylhydrazine (agaritine) from all other components in 10-500-microliters samples of mushroom extracts. Locally purchased mushrooms were found to contain mean levels of 0.4 - 0.7 mg agaritine g. The agaritine content of the mushrooms had decreased by 2-47% after 1 wk of storage in a domestic refrigerator and by 36-76% after 2 wk of such storage. Canned mushroom soup and canned mushrooms did not contain detectable agaritine; a sample of frozen mushrooms contained a mean level of 0.33 mg/g and a batch of fresh mushrooms lost about 32% of their agaritine content on cooking. In mice given 3 mg agaritine by gavage, agaritine was detected in all parts of the gastro-intestinal tract 15 min after dosing, but none was detectable in the gut after 3 hr. The enzyme gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase derived from pig's kidney was found to be capable of decomposing agaritine to glutamic acid and 4-(hydroxymethyl)phenylhydrazine, and to have nine times such activity as an enzyme isolated from mushrooms.

Agaricales↗
PubMed2002

Oyster mushroom cultivation with rice and wheat straw.

Cultivation of the oyster mushroom, Pleurotus sajor-caju, on rice and wheat straw without nutrient supplementation was investigated. The effects of straw size reduction method and particle size, spawn inoculation level, and type of substrate (rice straw versus wheat straw) on mushroom yield, biological efficiency, bioconversion efficiency, and substrate degradation were determined. Two size reduction methods, grinding and chopping, were compared. The ground straw yielded higher mushroom growth rate and yield than the chopped straw. The growth cycles of mushrooms with the ground substrate were five days shorter than with the chopped straw for a similar particle size. However, it was found that when the straw was ground into particles that were too small, the mushroom yield decreased. With the three spawn levels tested (12%, 16% and 18%), the 12% level resulted in significantly lower mushroom yield than the other two levels. Comparing rice straw with wheat straw, rice straw yielded about 10% more mushrooms than wheat straw under the same cultivation conditions. The dry matter loss of the substrate after mushroom growth varied from 30.1% to 44.3%. The straw fiber remaining after fungal utilization was not as degradable as the original straw fiber, indicating that the fungal fermentation did not improve the feed value of the straw.

Agaricales↗
PubMed2006

Characterization of aroma-active compounds in raw and cooked pine-mushrooms (Tricholoma matsutake Sing.).

The characteristic aroma-active compounds in raw and cooked pine-mushrooms (Tricholoma matsutake Sing.) were investigated by gas chromatography-olfactometry using aroma extract dilution analysis. 1-Octen-3-one (mushroom-like) was the major aroma-active compound in raw pine-mushrooms; this compound had the highest flavor dilution factor, followed by ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (floral and sweet), linalool (citrus-like), methional (boiled potato-like), 3-octanol (mushroom-like and buttery), 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom-like), (E)-2-octen-1-ol (mushroom-like), and 3-octanone (mushroom-like and buttery). By contrast, methional, 2-acetylthiazole (roasted), an unknown compound (chocolate-like), 3-hydroxy-2-butanone (buttery), and phenylacetaldehyde (floral and sweet), which could be formed by diverse thermal reactions during the cooking process, together with C8 compounds, were identified as the major aroma-active compounds in cooked pine-mushrooms.

Agaricales↗
PubMed2006

Antioxidant activity of indigenous edible mushrooms.

The current study was undertaken to measure the antioxidant potential from water and methanolic extracts of fruiting bodies of 23 species of mushrooms naturally grown in different geographic locations of India. The antioxidant ability of each species was analyzed for the total antioxidative status, employing multimechanistic antioxidative assays such as inhibition of lipid peroxidation, determination of reducing power, and free radical scavenging ability, in addition to determination of total phenolics and identification of phenolic acids by HPLC analysis, because the phenolics are known to contribute largely to antioxidant potential. The antioxidant potential of these varieties of mushrooms was determined by summing the antioxidative activity (AOA) of each variety by varied antioxidant assays followed by determining the relative percent of AOA defined as the "antioxidant index" (AI). On the basis of the AI, the mushroom species were graded as very high, high, moderate, and low. Termitomyces heimii was identified as the best variety, which showed 100% AI with 37 mg of phenolics/g of sample, 418 units of reducing power ability (RPA)/g, and an IC50 of approximately 1.1 mg (dry weight)/mL, free radical scavenging activity (FRS) in the water extract followed by 11.2 mg of phenolics/g, 275 units of RPA/g, and an IC50 of approximately 2.7 mg (dry weight)/mL of FRS in the methanolic extract. Following T. heimii, Termitomyces mummiformis exhibited an AI of 86% within the "very high" group. Potent inhibitions of lipid peroxidation of approximately 100 and 69% was also observed in T. heimii and T. mummiformis, respectively. Water extracts ranged from 34 to 49% and methanolic extracts varied from 20 to 32% on dry weight of mushroom fruiting body. Total phenolic compounds were higher in the water extracts (2-37 mg/g) than in methanolic extract (0.7-11.2 mg/g). The AOA measured in the water extract was better than that from the methanolic extract. HPLC analysis of phenolic acids in the two mushroom species, namely, T. heimii and T. mummiformis, displaying maximum AOA potential indicated a preponderance of tannic acid, gallic acid, protocatacheuic acid, and gentisic acid. Studies thus provide the precise antioxidant status of 23 indigenous species of mushrooms, which can serve as a useful database for the selection of mushrooms for the function of preparation of mushroom-based nutraceutics.

Agaricales↗
PubMed2001

Three-year follow-up study of allergy in workers in a mushroom factory.

Exposure to mushroom spores may cause many respiratory allergic diseases, however, there has been no serial study in a mushroom factory to address this problem. The aim of this study was to investigate the serial changes in respiratory allergy and the incidence of hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) in mushroom workers. A 3-year follow-up study, beginning in June 1996, was conducted in a newly operating mushroom factory in which one kind of mushroom is produced: Hypsizigus marmoreus (Bunashimeji). Allergic symptoms, chest roentgenogram, serum precipitins to the spores and soluble adhesion molecules in sera were evaluated once a year in 60 workers and 20 controls. Three out of the 60 subjects were diagnosed as having HP caused by inhalation ofthe mushroom spore and they were therefore excluded from this study, and the 57 non-HP subjects were evaluated. In this study 24 workers quit because of intolerable cough, runny nose, wheezing, sputum, fever elevation and/or shortness of breath at their place of work. During each year of this study as many as 70-80% of employees suffered some ofthe above symptoms, cough being the most frequent, and positive rate of serum precipitins to the spore revealed 30% in 1996, 93% in 1997 and 94% in 1998. From the June 1996 examination until the following May, serum soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 levels of the 15 workers who quit during that period were significantly higher than those in the 42 workers still employed in 1997 (P < 0.05). Workers in Bunashimeji mushroom factories might be at critical risk of developing respiratory allergy. In our 3-year study over 90% workers were sensitized to the spore, 40% quit because of the symptoms and 5% developed HP. It was suggested that workers should be counselled about the risk of mushroom allergy and precautionary measures should be taken to prevent its occurrence.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Content and bioconcentration of mercury in mushrooms from northern Poland.

Mercury (Hg) was quantified using cold vapour-atomic absorption spectrometry (CV-AAS) in the fruiting bodies of nine edible and five inedible mushrooms and in underlying soil substrate samples. In total, 404 samples comprising caps and stalks and 202 samples of soil substrate (0-10 cm layer) were collected in 1996 from Trójmiejski Landscape Park, northern Poland. Mean Hg concentrations in the soil substrate for different species varied between 10 +/- 3 and 780 +/- 500 ng x g(-1) dry wt (range 2.3-1700). Among edible mushroom species, Horse Mushroom (Agaricus arvensis), Brown Birch Scaber Stalk (Leccinum scabrum), Parasol Mushroom (Macrolepiota procera), King Bolete (Boletus edulis) and Yellow-cracking Bolete (Xerocomus subtomentosus) contained elevated concentrations of Hg ranging from 1600 +/- 930 to 6800 +/- 4000 ng x g(-1) dry wt in the caps. Concentrations of Hg in the stalks were 2.6 +/- 1.1 to 1.7 +/- 1.0 times lower than those in the caps. Some mushroom species investigated had high Hg levels when compared with specimens collected from the background reference sites elsewhere (located far away from the big cities) in northern Poland. Bioconcentration factors of Hg in the caps of Horse Mushroom, Parasol Mushroom and Brown Birch Scaber Stalk were between 150 +/- 58 and 230 +/- 150 ng x g(-1) dry wt, respectively, and for inedible Pestle-shaged Puffball (Claviata excipulformis) was 960 +/- 300 ng x g(-1) dry wt. Linear regression coefficients between Hg in caps and in stalks and Hg soil concentrations showed a positive relationship for A. arvensis and Horse mushroom (p < 0.05) and a negative correlation for the caps of Death Caps (Amanita phalloides) and Woolly Milk Cap (Lactarius torminosus) (p < 0.05), while for other species no clear trend was found.

Agaricales↗
PubMed1999

Agaritine content in processed foods containing the cultivated mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) on the Nordic and the Czech market.

The level of agaritine was measured in fresh and canned cultivated mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) as well as in other food products containing A. bisporus, by reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography. The two fresh samples were purchased on the open market and contained 212 and 229 mg/kg, respectively. Of the 35 different trademarks of canned mushroom products studied, 25 were based on cut mushrooms and 10 on whole mushrooms. On average, whole mushrooms contained 14.9 +/- 6.7 mg agaritine per kg product whereas cut mushrooms contained 18.1 +/- 7.8 mg/kg. There was no statistically significant difference between these two values. Agaritine levels in brine were generally slightly lower than the levels detected in canned mushrooms. Thus, the level of agaritine in A. bisporus is reduced more than 10 times during the wet canning process, resulting in low levels in canned products. On a portion basis, somewhat higher amounts of agaritine may be found in some other food products (mushroom soup and pasta sauce) containing A. bisporus.

Agaricus↗
PubMed1988

Mushroom allergy.

The overall extent of mushroom allergy is not known. It may be very slight (1%) from eating, but could, alternatively, be as prevalent as pollen and mould allergy (10-30% of an allergic population). Aerospora of mushrooms and other woodland fungi, mostly basidiospores, occur in temperature zones in June to November, reaching maximum in August and September in quantities comparable to pollen and mould spores. There are large local and annual variations in species and spore concentrations in different milieus. In SPT and BPT studies about two dozen of these species have been associated with inhalant type I allergy. All species studied so far have yielded positive results. Mushroom allergens have been explored in only two studies. These show that mushrooms are antigenically rich and that a species can have more than one allergen. The difficulties of mushroom allergen research are very substantial because one usually has to rely on naturally growing mushrooms, where allergenic contamination by other allergen sources is frequent. Choice and recognition of species is also difficult. Virtually all known allergenic mushrooms and fungi are universal, growing equally well in Europe and North America. The genus Chlorophyllum occurs only in North America, but its close relatives of the genus Macrolepiota are common also in Europe. Podaxis grows only in desert regions near the equator and is not found in Europe. The majority of the large and more common universal mushroom families has not yet been investigated. The allergenicity of families Cortinariaceae, Russulaceae, Lactariaceae and Boletaceae is totally obscure even though they produce large quantities of spores in the air, particularly in northern Europe.

Allergens↗
PubMed2006

The general secretory pathway of Burkholderia gladioli pv. agaricicola BG164R is necessary for cavity disease in white button mushrooms.

Cavity disease in white button mushrooms is caused by Burkholderia gladioli pv. agaricicola. We describe the isolation and characterization of six mutants of the strain BG164R that no longer cause this disease on mushrooms. The mutations were mapped to genes of the general secretory pathway (GSP). This is the first report of the association of the type II secretion pathway with a disease in mushrooms. Phenotypes of the six avirulent mutants were the following: an inability to degrade mushroom tissue, a highly reduced capacity to secrete chitinase and protease, and a reduced number of flagella. Using these mutants, we also made the novel observation that the factors causing mushroom tissue degradation, thereby leading to the expression of cavity disease, can be separated from mycelium inhibition because avirulent mutants continued to inhibit the growth of actively growing mushroom mycelia. The GSP locus of B. gladioli was subsequently cloned and mapped and compared to the same locus in closely related species, establishing that the genetic organization of the gsp operon of B. gladioli pv. agaricicola is consistent with that of other species of the genus. We also identify the most common indigenous bacterial population present in the mushroom fruit bodies from a New Zealand farm, one of which, Ewingella americana, was found to be an apparent antagonist of B. gladioli pv. agaricicola. While other investigators have reported enhanced disease symptoms due to interactions between endogenous and disease-causing bacteria in other mushroom diseases, to the best of our knowledge this is the first report of an antagonistic effect.

Agaricus↗
PubMed1975

Growth potential of Clostridium botulinum in fresh mushrooms packaged in semipermeable plastic film.

Fresh mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) were inoculated in the stem, gill, or cap with Clostridium botulinum spores. They were placed with uninoculated mushrooms in paper board trays, which were then covered and sealed in a polyvinyl chloride stretch film to simulate prepackaged mushrooms available at retail stores. When incubated at 20 C, botulinum toxin could be detected as early as day 3, or 4, when the mushrooms still appear edible. Mushrooms inoculated in the stem with 1,000 type A spores frequently became botulinogenic; higher spore levels were needed if gills or caps were inoculation sites. Type B spores were less apt to produce toxic mushrooms. Respiration of the fresh mushrooms used up O2 more rapidly than could enter through the semipermeable wrapping film, so that the equilibrium O2 concentration became low enough for growth of C. botulinum. Inoculated mushrooms did not become botulinogenic when held at 4 C.

Basidiomycota↗
PubMed2006

Anti-aromatase activity of phytochemicals in white button mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus).

White button mushrooms (Agaricus bisporous) are a potential breast cancer chemopreventive agent, as they suppress aromatase activity and estrogen biosynthesis. Therefore, we evaluated the activity of mushroom extracts in the estrogen receptor-positive/aromatase-positive MCF-7aro cell line in vitro and in vivo. Mushroom extract decreased testosterone-induced cell proliferation in MCF-7aro cells but had no effect on MCF-10A, a nontumorigenic cell line. Most potent mushroom chemicals are soluble in ethyl acetate. The major active compounds found in the ethyl acetate fraction are unsaturated fatty acids such as linoleic acid, linolenic acid, and conjugated linoleic acid. The interaction of linoleic acid and conjugated linoleic acid with aromatase mutants expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells showed that these fatty acids inhibit aromatase with similar potency and that mutations at the active site regions affect its interaction with these two fatty acids. Whereas these results suggest that these two compounds bind to the active site of aromatase, the inhibition kinetic analysis indicates that they are noncompetitive inhibitors with respect to androstenedione. Because only conjugated linoleic acid was found to inhibit the testosterone-dependent proliferation of MCF-7aro cells, the physiologically relevant aromatase inhibitors in mushrooms are most likely conjugated linoleic acid and its derivatives. The in vivo action of mushroom chemicals was shown using nude mice injected with MCF-7aro cells. The studies showed that mushroom extract decreased both tumor cell proliferation and tumor weight with no effect on rate of apoptosis. Therefore, our studies illustrate the anticancer activity in vitro and in vivo of mushroom extract and its major fatty acid constituents.

Agaricus↗
PubMed2004

Mushrooms, tumors, and immunity: an update.

There is significant interest in the use of mushrooms and/or mushroom extracts as dietary supplements based on theories that they enhance immune function and promote health. To some extent, select mushrooms have been shown to have stimulatory action on immune responsiveness, particularly when studied in vitro. However, despite their widespread use for potential health benefits, there is a surprising paucity of epidemiologic and experimental studies that address the biologic activities of mushrooms after oral administration to animals or humans. There have been a number of studies that have addressed the ability of mushrooms to modulate mononuclear cell activation and the phenotypic expression of cytokines and their cognate receptors. There have also been a number of attempts to determine antitumor activities of mushrooms. Such studies are important because many of the components of mushrooms do potentially have significant biologic activity. All data, however, should be tempered by the possibility that there are toxic levels of metals, including arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury as well as the presence of radioactive contamination with 137Cs. In this review, we will present the comparative biology with respect to both immunological and antitumor activities of mushroom extracts and also highlight the need for further evidence-based research.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed2000

The retinal determination gene, dachshund, is required for mushroom body cell differentiation.

The dachshund gene of Drosophila encodes a putative transcriptional regulator required for eye and leg development. We show here that dachshund is also required for normal brain development. The mushroom bodies of dachshund mutants exhibit a marked reduction in the number of (&agr;) lobe axons, a disorganization of axons extending into horizontal lobes, and aberrant projections into brain areas normally unoccupied by mushroom body processes. The phenotypes become pronounced during pupariation, suggesting that dachshund function is required during this period. GAL4-mediated expression of dachshund in the mushroom bodies rescues the mushroom body phenotypes. Moreover, dachshund mutant mushroom body clones in an otherwise wild-type brain exhibit the phenotypes, indicating an autonomous role for dachshund. Although eyeless, like dachshund, is preferentially expressed in the mushroom body and is genetically upstream of dachshund for eye development, no interaction of these genes was detected for mushroom body development. Thus, dachshund functions in the developing mushroom body neurons to ensure their proper differentiation.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

A pediatric case of anaphylaxis caused by matsutake mushroom (Tricholoma matsutake) ingestion.

BACKGROUND: Anaphylaxis is one of the severest forms of allergic diseases. Some kinds of mushroom are known as causative allergens in food anaphylaxis. Matsutake mushroom (Tricholoma matsutake) is a typical edible mushroom available in autumn in Japan. We encountered an 8-year-old Japanese girl who developed anaphylaxis after ingesting matsutake mushrooms. METHODS: We studied the case in detail, by measuring specific IgE antibodies and conducting skin tests, to confirm the diagnosis. We also detected seven cytokines and chemical mediators in the blood in order to study the pathophysiology of the anaphylaxis. RESULTS: We diagnosed anaphylaxis caused by ingestion of matsutake mushrooms based on the following. A skin prick test showed a positive reaction to matsutake mushroom, and specific IgE antibody for matsutake mushroom extract was detected in the patient's serum by fluorometric ELISA. Blood levels of chemical mediators including histamine, ECP, tryptase and cytokines such as IL-6, IL-5 and IL-10 but not IFN-gamma also increased significantly during the allergic episode. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated that chemical mediators including histamine, tryptase and ECP as well as several cytokines were involved significantly during the episode of anaphylaxis. In addition, eosinophils as well as mast cells played significant roles in the anaphylaxis. Furthermore, CD4+CD25+ T regulatory cells that released IL-10 were likely activated during the anaphylaxis. Matsutake mushroom should be considered as a causative allergen in food anaphylaxis.

Adrenergic Agonists↗