Mushroom poisoning caused by species of the genus Cortinarius Fries.

Symptomatology, clinical characteristics and pathogenesis of mushroom poisoning caused by Cortinarius species are surveyed. The isolation of a bipyridine--orellanine--from Cortinarius orellanus is held to be responsible for the nephrotoxicity of this species as well as the closely related C. speciosissimus. The present knowledge on the toxicity of structurally related and well-known bipyridines such as paraquat and diquat is brought up and found comparable to orellanine toxicity. Pharmacokinetic experiments on the nephrotoxic bipyridines suggest that haemoperfusion is a rational therapy of intoxicated persons, even several days after mushroom ingestion.