species. Some familiar mushrooms the produce these toxins are the Death Cap (Amanita phalloides), Destroying Angels (Amanita ocreata, and others) and the Deadly Galerina (Galerina marginata). If a person were to eat a mushroom that contains amanitin, the toxin generally causes liver failure and possibly death. A single mushroom contains enough toxin to kill an adult. So, the warnings to properly identify a mushroom before eating it should be headed with an abundance of caution. Now, you might be wondering: since
antibodies are used in the test to detect the toxin, and since we know that our bodies make antibodies to protect us … can our body make antibodies to amanitin and protect us if the toxin gets inside our bodies? No. It is true that antibodies are a powerful component of our body’s immune response. But to start an antibody response, the target needs to be “large” (molecularly speaking). For comparison, amanitin is about 900 Daltons (a molecular unit), but the smallest target that will induce an antibody response is about 10,000 Daltons. Let’s revisit the analogy that amanitin is like a key in a lock. Te key (call it 1 inch long) alone won’t start the immune response, but if the key was on a large key ring (perhaps a 10-inch- diameter ring) then the immune system would be alerted and antibodies would be made. Te key ring helps to present the key to an antibody. Without the key ring, no antibodies would be made. In a mushroom, the amanitin is a free
molecule—only a single key. However, by using some chemistry techniques, the amanitin can be attached to a larger molecule (i.e., a key ring) and then used to make antibodies in a mouse. Te mouse antibodies are then carefully selected and used as the “lock” in this assay to specifically bind amanitin as the “key.” So, what do those mouse antibodies do in the AMATOXtest? When a liquid sample of material is added to the test (the liquid sample can be juice from a mushroom or urine) the antibodies will bind to any free amanitin in the sample. If the sample contains amanitin, a single line (reddish colored band) will form in the window. If the sample contains no amanitins, then the antibodies will form two red lines in the window. [Te image shows the results of a test performed in December 2021
Winter 2022 FUNGI Volume 15:1 41
in Louisiana by members of the Gulf States Mycological Society. Tested were fresh mushroom specimens collected at the foray as well as dried specimens of Galerina marginata collected in Arkansas, and Amanita ocreata collected in California.-Ed] Te AMATOXtest is highly sensitive.
Tat means it can detect very, very small amounts of amanitin. In fact, it detects ONE nanogram of amanitin. For comparison, a whole mushroom contains a milligram of amanitin, which is equal to 1,000,000 nanograms. Urine samples on the other hand typically don’t contain as much amanitin. Te
toxin flushes out of the body through urine, so the amount of amanitin in the body will drop over time. But, the race is on between how fast the toxin makes it out of the body before it starts to kill the liver. Last little note about using this test on
urine samples. No one, I repeat, no one should eat the mushroom to then test their urine with this test. Furthermore, even though a mushroom tests negative for amanitin, it might contain other toxins that you are not expecting. So, be sure to thoroughly identify all of the morphological characteristics of any mushroom you intend to eat.
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