Antidote is found to combat world’s deadliest mushroom

THE world’s deadliest mushroom may have finally been tamed after scientists found that a medical dye, developed in the 1950s by Kodak, acts as an antidote.

The death cap, called the “killer of kings” because of its role in the deaths of the Roman Emperor Claudius and Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI, causes 90 per cent of mushroom fatalities each year.

Despite its bland appearance – which leads to it being mistaken for edible mushrooms – the death cap can cause vomiting, diarrhoea, jaundice, seizures, coma and death.

Now Chinese researchers have found that a fluorescent medical dye, called indocyanine green, reduces the poisonous effects in human cells and animals.

The dye was developed 70 years ago by the photography company Kodak, for use in medical imaging.

Although the potential antidote has not yet been tested on humans, the team believes that it could save many lives each year.

Qiaoping Wang, a researcher at China’s Sun Yat-sen University and senior author of the study, said the dye “demonstrated significant potential in mitigating the toxic impact”.

“This molecule holds immense potential for treating cases of human mushroom poisoning and could mark the first-ever specific antidote with a targeted protein,” he said. “It could save many lives if it is as effective in humans as in mice.”

Death caps are common in the UK between August and November, growing to around six inches, with tinted green caps, white stems and white gills.

The mushrooms are so poisonous because they contain a toxin called alpha-amanitin. To look for a potential cure, researchers genetically engineered human cells with mutations to see if any could stand up against the poison. They discovered that cells engineered to block a protein called STT3B survived, so scientists looked for a drug which would mimic the effect, discovering indocyanine green.

The dye is administered intravenously, and has been used for decades to help doctors observe liver and heart function. Researchers now want to move to human trials to test the dye although they warned that it may take some time to prove as tests will need to wait until people accidentally ingest death caps.

Previously, the team used the same technique to find a potential antidote to the box jellyfish, one of the world’s most poisonous animals. They are hopeful that the approach could be used to find antidotes for many other conditions, including sepsis.

The findings appear