The shiitake is an edible mushroom native to East Asia. The popularity of these mushrooms has increased over the years in the United States and with it has been a rise in allergic skin reactions to this relatively new ingredient on the American culinary landscape.
Shiitake flagellate dermatitis, also known as toxicoderma, is an allergic reaction related to the ingestion of raw or undercooked shiitake mushrooms. Signs of this dermatologic condition include skin eruptions resembling scratch or whiplash marks. This skin reaction occurs in approximately 2-3% of people who eat undercooked or raw shiitake mushrooms.
Various theories exist as to how and why this type reaction occurs with some people who eat the undercooked forms of the edible fungus.
When Dr. Amir Bajoghli of Skin & Laser Dermatology Center recently treated such a case in his practice, he realized it was of importance to share his medical findings regarding the patient with the scientific community. He wrote up the details of this Shiitake mushroom dermatitis. These findings were published in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, the premier publication for allergic and immunologic diseases.
Dr. Bajoghli is honored to publish the case with his father, Dr. Mehdi Bajoghli, a practicing allergist in Northern Virginia.