Woman develops shiitake dermatitis on ‘detox diet’

The whip-like rash is very characteristic, says Melbourne dermatologist
Clare Pain
shiitake flagellate erythema
Shiitake flagellate erythema. Photo: Dermnet NZ

Melbourne dermatologists have warned about a rare dermatitis that can result from eating raw shiitake mushrooms.

Presenting a case report at the annual scientific meeting of the Australasian College of Dermatologists in Melbourne, Associate Professor Alvin Chong described the case of a 30-year-old woman who presented three days after starting a ‘detoxification diet’.

The woman had a widespread, intensely pruritic rash on her neck, limbs and trunk consisting of papules and erythematous linear streaks resembling lashes from a whip, Dr Chong said.

The patient, normally in good health, was feeling generally unwell, said Dr Chong, from the Skin and Cancer Foundation in Melbourne.