New Jersey Man’s Death Marks First Confirmed Fatal Case of Tick-Induced Red Meat Allergy
An otherwise healthy 47-year-old New Jersey man died from a rare red-meat allergy caused by tick bites, according to University of Virginia School of Medicine researchers. Sensitization to tick-borne alpha-gal sugar causes AGS. Man died after eating mammalian meat after tick-borne molecule exposure.
The man had severe abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea four hours after eating steak on a family camping trip in summer 2024, according to medical reports. He recovered overnight but told his son he felt “was going to die”. After eating a hamburger at a backyard barbecue two weeks later, he collapsed in the bathroom. Emergency response and hospital efforts failed, so his death was initially classified as “sudden unexplained death”. Additional lab tests showed high tryptase and alpha-gal antibody levels, indicating anaphylaxis.
The Lone Star tick (Amblyomma americanum) is most linked to this syndrome in the US, say researchers. Early that summer, the man had 12-13 small, itchy “chigger”-type ankle bites. Scientists believe Lone Star tick larvae may cause many eastern U.S. bites, explaining the sensitization event.
Most food allergies cause reactions in minutes, but AGS symptoms appear hours after eating beef, pork, or lamb. No deaths have been reported from hives, gastrointestinal upset, and anaphylaxis. AGS must be taken seriously and tick-prone clinicians notified of delayed red meat reactions, according to experts.
Researchers fear AGS may be underreported beyond individual tragedies. Changing tick ecology, deer and small-mammal populations, and tick geography may increase alpha-gal sensitization. Many people with allergies have mild symptoms and never get diagnosed, and some unexplained allergic or anaphylactic events may be caused by other factors.
If tick-exposed people have severe abdominal pain or allergic symptoms after eating mammalian meat, especially if they have had tick or “chigger-type” bites, the public and healthcare providers should consider AGS. AGS has no cure, so early detection and mammalian meat avoidance are the only options.
The first fatal AGS case alerts clinicians, patients, and public health officials. Understanding this hidden allergy could save your life if mammalian meat causes an unexpected allergic reaction as tick-borne illnesses rise.
Sources
University of Virginia Health press release on the first death linked to meat allergy spread by ticks.
Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy (CIDRAP) news article on the New Jersey case.
New Food magazine article on the first confirmed fatality from alpha‑gal meat allergy.
