AP � Iranian media say at least 15 people have died and more than 1,000 have been poisoned after eating wild mushrooms in recent weeks.

A website affiliated with state TV said Tuesday that more than 100 people were hospitalized and that three people required liver transplants. The figures cover several western provinces.

Health authorities have warned people not to buy or consume wild mushrooms, which are often sold this time of year in farmer�s markets, particularly in the mountainous west. The mushrooms tend to appear in the spring, when many people picnic in the countryside.