Objective To grasp the occurrence pattern and epidemiological characteristics of poisonous mushroom poisoning events in China from 2014 to 2023, thus providing a basis for the prevention and control of poisonous mushroom poisoning.

Methods The epidemiological characteristics of poisonous mushroom poisoning incidents reported by the Public Health Emergency Reporting Management Information System (PHERMIS) nationwide from 2014 to 2023 were descriptively analyzed.

Results From 2014 to 2023, a total of 570 poisonous mushroom poisoning incidents were reported nationwide, involving 2 768 reported poisoning cases and 604 deaths. The incidents with 1 to 2 cases and 1 death were predominant, accounting for 35.79% and 48.77% of the total number of incidents, respectively. June to September was the period with high incidence (83.51%) of poisonous mushroom poisoning. Yunnan, Sichuan, and Guizhou were the provinces with higher incidence of poisonous mushroom poisoning, with the reported incidents accounting for 35.79%, 16.32%, and 10.70% of the total, respectively. Self-picked poisonous mushrooms were the main source of poisoning, which accounted for 91.75% of the total number of incidents. The occurrence place of the incidents was mainly households, which accounted for 86.67% of the total number of incidents. Twenty-four species of poisonous mushrooms were identified through the surveillance reports, of which Amanita (Amanitaceae) caused the highest number of poisonous mushroom poisoning incidents, poisoning, and deaths, which accounted for 23.86%, 18.03%, and 31.46% of the total, respectively.

Conclusions Deaths caused by poisonous mushroom poisoning remain the main factor of deaths caused by food poisoning. The incidence is high in summer and fall, and accidental picking and ingestion by families are the main cause. The poisonous mushrooms eaten by mistake mainly belong to Amanita.