Episode 50

A Morel Dilemma: Episode 1 — Outbreak in Bozeman

A deadly outbreak begins with a single meal at a sushi restaurant in Bozeman, Montana. Within hours, diners develop severe nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Some collapse. Two people die. At first, it looks like food poisoning, but investigators quickly notice one strange ingredient connecting many of the sick patients: morel mushrooms.

In the first episode of A Morel Dilemma, we meet the people caught in the earliest moments of the outbreak and begin following the investigation as it unfolds in real time. What starts as a suspected restaurant-associated illness quickly becomes a much stranger question: how could a prized edible mushroom, eaten for centuries, suddenly be linked to death?

This is not a retrospective summary. It is the beginning of a poisoning mystery, told the way investigators experienced it: with urgency, uncertainty, and more questions than answers.

Select references

  1. CDC Report on Bozeman Morel Mushroom Outbreak
  2. Rat Poison Contaminated synthetic cannabis
  3. E cigarette and vaping assosciated lung injury
  4. Enoki-Listeria outbreak
  5. Aconite outbreak in Canada mentioned in the introduction
  6. Arsenic Coffee Pot Poisoning in Maine
  7. Leongatha Mushroom Murders

A Morel Dilemma

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About the Podcast

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The Poison Lab
Explore the world of poisoning with Clinical Toxicologist Ryan Feldman and Cohost Toxo, dive into the history, science, and life-saving care of poisoning. Survivor stories, expert insights, and deep dives—every poison has a story to tell!

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Ryan Feldman

Dr. Ryan Feldman PharmD, DABAT is the chief scientist at The Poison Lab. He works as a Clinical Toxicologist, Emergency Medicine Pharmacist, and Clinical Assistant Professor of Pharmacy and Emergency medicine.

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Anonymous $5
From reddit r/mycology. Thank you for the captivating story of the morel poisoning incident.
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Margaret Shi $10
Keep up the good work!!