The FDA, CDC, Gallatin City-County Health Department, and Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services are investigating illnesses at a single restaurant in Montana. The restaurant temporarily closed following the illnesses. However, there is no further risk to the public. Preparation and storage methods at the restaurant continue to be examined as part of the investigation into the cause of illnesses, and this advisory will be updated as information becomes available. As of May 15, 2023, 50 ill people ate at the restaurant between March 28 and April 17, 2023, of whom 44 reported eating morel mushrooms. There have been three hospitalizations and two deaths associated with this incident. A sample from the restaurant showed that the sampled mushrooms were true morels. Although epidemiological evidence indicates that morel mushrooms consumed at the restaurant are likely the cause of illnesses, mushroom poisonings can be difficult to diagnose as the exact chemical nature of some toxins found in wild-type mushrooms are currently unknown. Edible mushroom species can be difficult to identify, even by mushroom experts. @ https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/investigation-illnesses-morel-mushrooms-may-2023?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery
