'Sugihiratake deaths' in Akita, Japan

From The Japan Times: Two more 'sugihiratake deaths' in Akita

Ten more people have been diagnosed with acute brain disorder in Akita Prefecture, and two have died, the prefectural government said Monday, possibly the result of eating a type of edible wild mushroom.

The deaths of a woman in her 70s and a man in his 60s brought to four the number of people in Akita who have died from the acute brain disorder since mid-September, and to 10 the total number of deaths in Akita, Yamagata and Niigata prefectures.

The acute brain disorder is a temporary impairment of brain tissue.

Eight of the 10 people in Akita, including the two who recently died, had eaten sugihiratake.

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry last week asked prefectural governments nationwide to issue warnings for people with kidney problems not to consume the mushrooms, which have the Latin name of Pleurocybella porrigens and are called Angel's Wings in English.

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This mushroom is apparently not poisonous since people are eating them. But they might be deadly if you have kidney problems. Still, 10 people to die this way sounds like a lot.