Trichoderma cornu-damae
{{Short description|Species of fungus}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Podostroma cornu-damae.jpg
| image_alt =
| image_caption =
| status =
| status_system =
| status_ref = {{citation needed|date=}}
| genus = Trichoderma
| species = cornu-damae
| authority = (Pat.) Z.X.Zhu & W.Y.Zhuang (2014)
| synonyms =
- Hypocrea cornu-damae Pat. (1895)Patouillard & Lagerheim, Bull. Soc. mycol. Fr. 11(4): 198 (1895)
- Podocrea cornu-damae (Pat.) Sacc. & D.Sacc. (1905)(Pat.) Sacc. & D. Sacc., Syll. fung. (Abellini) 17: 799 (1905)
- Podostroma cornu-damae (Pat.) Boedijn (1934)(Pat.) Boedijn, Bull. Jard. bot. Buitenz, 3 Sér. 13: 274 (1934)
- Protocrea cornu-damae (Pat.) Sacc. & D.Sacc. (1905)
}}
{{ mycomorphbox
| name = Trichoderma cornu-damae
| whichGills = no
| capShape = no
| hymeniumType = smooth
| stipeCharacter = bare
| ecologicalType = saprotrophic
| sporePrintColor = yellow
| sporePrintColor2 = brown
| howEdible = deadly
}}
{{Nihongo|Trichoderma cornu-damae |カエンタケ |kaentake |lead=yes}}, formerly Podostroma cornu-damae and also known as the poison fire coral, is a species of fungus in the family Hypocreaceae. The fruit bodies of the fungus are highly toxic if ingested, and have been responsible for several human fatalities as they contain an often fatal dose of the mycotoxin satratoxin-H.
Taxonomy
{{update-section|date=June 2019}}
The species was originally described as Hypocrea cornu-damae by Narcisse Théophile Patouillard in 1895, and later transferred to the genus Podocrea in 1905 by Pier Andrea Saccardo. In 1994, Japanese mycologists Tsuguo Hongo and Masana Izawa placed the species in the genus Podostroma.
Range
The fungus was once thought to be exclusive to South Korea and Japan, but recent discoveries have been made in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Australia.Burt, Jemima and Mounter, Brendan (19 February 2021) [https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-02-19/deadly-fungus-poison-fire-coral-warning-for-bushwalkers/13169022 Deadly fungus, poison fire coral, sighted near Cairns, prompting warning for bushwalkers] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240617190725/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-02-19/deadly-fungus-poison-fire-coral-warning-for-bushwalkers/13169022 |date=17 June 2024 }} ABC News, 2021-02-19.
Description
The conidiophores (specialized fungal hyphae that produce conidia) are up to 400 μm high and about 2–4 μm wide in the main axial hyphae. The phialides are arranged in tufts with narrow angles at the top, similar to the branching hyphae found in Trichoderma species. The conidia are roughly spherical with a truncate base in each spore, pale green in color, and measure 2.5–3.5 μm in diameter. Their surfaces are almost smooth, but sometimes appearing very faintly roughened with light microscopy.
Toxicity
Several poisonings have been reported in Japan resulting from the consumption of the fungus. In 1999, one of a group of five people from Niigata prefecture died two days after consuming one or two grams of fruit body that had been soaked in sake. In 2000, an individual from Gunma prefecture died after eating the fried mushroom. Symptoms associated with consumption in these cases included stomach pains, changes in perception, decrease in the number of leukocytes and thrombocytes, peeling skin on the face, hair loss, and shrinking of the cerebellum, resulting in speech impediment and problems with voluntary movement. In another instance, an autopsy revealed multiple organ failure, including acute kidney failure, liver necrosis and disseminated intravascular coagulation. In one case of poisoning, the patient suffered from hemophagocytosis, in addition to severe leukocytopenia and thrombocytopenia, seven days after ingesting the fungus. Plasmapheresis and administration of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor were used to treat the blood abnormalities. The authors suggested that these treatments, in addition to the large volume of administered intravenous saline—{{convert|9|liters}} over a 12-hour period—were responsible for his successful recovery.
The poisoning symptoms are similar to those observed previously with animals that had consumed trichothecene mycotoxins. Japanese researchers detected the presence of the macrocyclic trichothecenes satratoxin H, satratoxin H 12′,13′-diacetate, satratoxin H 12′-acetate, and satratoxin H 13′-acetate. When grown in liquid culture the fungus additionally produces roridin E and verrucarin J. With the exception of verrucarin J, a 500-microgram dose of any of these compounds, when injected into the abdomen of mice, will result in their death the following day. It has been claimed that touching the fungus can cause skin irritation, but this is controversial.{{Cite web |title=Fire Coral Fungi {{!}} Podostroma cornu-damae |url=http://www.rjgrayecology.com/2/post/2019/10/mycophobia-and-the-fire-coral-fungi.html |access-date=26 October 2023 |website=R.J.GRAY ECOLOGY |language=en |archive-date=17 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240617190901/https://www.rjgrayecology.com/blog/mycophobia-and-the-fire-coral-fungi#/ |url-status=live }}
More recent research out of South Korea shows that the principal human toxicant made by the fungus (at least when grown on culture plates) is satratoxin H.{{Citation | vauthors=((Lee, B. S.)), ((Jung, S. M.)), ((Ryoo, R.)), ((Choi, S. U.)), ((An, S.)), ((Kim, K. H.)) | year=2023 | title=N-Hydroxy-Phe-Phe, a new dipeptide, and cytotoxic macrocyclic trichothecenes from the lethal toxic mushroom Podostroma cornu-damae | journal=Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry | volume=21 | issue=42 | pages=8521–8527 | publisher=Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) | doi=10.1039/D3OB01387A | pmid=37819425 | url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/D3OB01387A| url-access=subscription }}
See also
References
{{Reflist|refs=
{{cite journal |title=Enumération des Champignons récoltés par les RR. PP. Farges et Soulié, dans le Thibet oriental et le Su-tchuen |url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Enum%C3%A9ration_des_Champignons_r%C3%A9colt%C3%A9s_par_les_RR._PP._Farges_et_Souli%C3%A9,_dans_le_Thibet_oriental_et_le_Su-tchuen.pdf |language=fr |journal=Bulletin de la Société Mycologique de France |year=1895 |volume=11 |last=Patouillard |first=N. T. |pages=196–99 |access-date=26 October 2023 |archive-date=17 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240617190732/https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Enum%C3%A9ration_des_Champignons_r%C3%A9colt%C3%A9s_par_les_RR._PP._Farges_et_Souli%C3%A9,_dans_le_Thibet_oriental_et_le_Su-tchuen.pdf |url-status=live }}
}}
External links
- {{Cite web |url=http://www.kingdomoffungi.com/e_id/pages/pq/podo_cornu-damae.php |title=Kingdom of Fungi – Podostroma cornu-damae jpg |access-date=26 September 2010 |archive-date=3 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303180041/http://www.kingdomoffungi.com/e_id/pages/pq/podo_cornu-damae.php |url-status=dead }}
- {{Cite web|url=https://sciencejournal.livedoor.biz/archives/929507.html|title=美しい紅葉の季節 猛毒キノコ多数見つかる 新潟|date=24 November 2007|website=サイエンスジャーナル|accessdate=17 June 2024}} Japanese blog images
- [https://cafe.naver.com/yatam/9438 South Korean images, including one that looks like a four-fingered hand]
{{Taxonbar|from=Q104096524|from2=Q864070|from3=Q59546315}}