GARDINER — A mycologist and former Montana State University professor who is assisting with the investigation after 11 people, including 10 adults and one child were hospitalized from eating wild mushrooms foraged in Park County says the case immediately reminded her of the 2023 illness outbreak linked to morel mushrooms served at Dave's Sushi in Bozeman, which resulted in two deaths.
WATCH: How Park County mushroom poisoning is highlighting the risks of foraging
According to the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, emergency responders were dispatched Monday night to a private vacation rental in Gardiner after multiple people became sick.
Officials believe the poisoning was unintentional and say the incident was isolated. They also emphasized that it is not connected to any restaurant or grocery store and that there is no ongoing threat to the general public beyond the normal risks associated with wild mushroom foraging.
The emergency response drew attention in the normally quiet community.
"It's not a super busy place besides the summertime," local resident Freddy said.
Another resident, Preston, said he watched as emergency crews arrived.
"A lot of cops were around and like seen the life flights happen and fly in," he said.
As word spread throughout Gardiner, many residents expressed surprise at what had happened.
"I was not expecting someone to have done what they did, especially with kids involved that's the part that was weird to me," Preston said.
"If anything happens in Gardiner, it's talked about for a little bit," Freddy added.
To better understand the dangers of wild mushroom foraging, MTN News spoke with Cathy Cripps, a mycologist and former Montana State University professor who is assisting with the investigation.
"Montana has quite a diversity of wild mushrooms," Cripps said.
Cripps said the case immediately reminded her of the 2023 illness outbreak linked to morel mushrooms served at Dave's Sushi in Bozeman, which resulted in two deaths.
"Well, we had the morel poisoning a little while back," she said.
Mycologists at Montana State University are now working to identify the exact species of mushroom involved in the poisoning. Cripps said researchers are using DNA analysis because only fragments of the mushrooms were recovered.
"It's going to be really definitive; he's doing some DNA analysis to actually figure out what the mushroom is because all that was received is bits and pieces," she said.
Cripps said anyone interested in foraging should make proper identification their top priority.
"Really the first rule is you really need to identify the mushrooms that you have," she said.
She recommends using field guides rather than relying solely on some artificial intelligence apps. Even after a mushroom has been correctly identified, Cripps said proper preparation is still essential.
"Cook them and cook them well," she said.
Freddy and Preston hope others take the incident as a reminder to be cautious.
"Don't forget about it either," Freddy said.
As of Tuesday evening, all 11 patients remained hospitalized.
According to state health officials, seven patients were in serious condition, three were in fair condition, and one was in good condition.