First Death Linked To Tick-Borne Meat Allergy Confirmed By Researchers

A 47-year-old man from New Jersey has become the first known fatality linked to a tick-borne allergy that causes life-threatening reactions to red meat, according to new research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine.

The condition, known as alpha-gal syndrome, develops after a bite from the Lone Star tick sensitizes people to a sugar molecule found in mammalian meat. Those affected can suffer delayed allergic reactions — including rash, nausea, vomiting, and in rare cases, anaphylaxis — after eating beef, pork, or lamb.

The fatal case was confirmed by Dr. Thomas Platts-Mills, the UVA allergist who first discovered the alpha-gal allergy and remains a leading expert on the condition. Platts-Mills and his team analyzed post-mortem blood samples from the man, who died suddenly in 2024 after eating a hamburger. Their findings, published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice, confirmed that he had been sensitized to alpha-gal and had suffered an extreme allergic reaction consistent with fatal anaphylaxis.

“The important information for the public is: First, that severe abdominal pain occurring three to five hours after eating beef, pork or lamb should be investigated as a possible episode of anaphylaxis; and, second, that tick bites that itch for more than a week or larvae of ticks often called chiggers can induce or increase sensitization to mammalian-derived meat,” said Platts-Mills, former chief of UVA Healths Division of Asthma, Allergy and Clinical Immunology. “On the other hand, most individuals who have mild to moderate episodes of hives can control symptoms with an appropriate diet.”

The man had fallen ill twice within two weeks — once after eating steak while camping, and again after a hamburger at a barbecue — before collapsing and dying at home. An initial autopsy failed to identify a cause, but his wife later asked for further review, leading doctors to consult Platts-Mills team.

Investigators determined that the man had been bitten earlier in the summer by what he thought were “chiggers,” though Platts-Mills said these bites were likely from Lone Star tick larvae, which are increasingly common in the eastern United States. Additional factors such as alcohol consumption, exercise, and seasonal pollen exposure may have amplified the allergic response.

With deer populations — and consequently tick populations — rising across much of the U.S., researchers warn that alpha-gal syndrome may become more common.

“It is important that both doctors and patients who live in an area of the country where Lone Star ticks are common should be aware of the risk of sensitization,” Platts-Mills said. “More specifically, if they have unexpected episodes of severe abdominal pain occurring several hours after eating mammalian meat, they should be investigated for possible sensitization to the oligosaccharide alpha-gal.”