Researchers Report First Known Death Linked to Tick-Triggered Meat Allergy
Researchers say they have identified what appears to be the first documented death caused by alpha-gal syndrome — a severe meat allergy triggered by certain tick bites — after a 47-year-old New Jersey man died last year…
Researchers say they have identified what appears to be the first documented Death caused by alpha-gal syndrome — a severe meat allergy triggered by certain tick bites — after a 47-year-old New Jersey man died last year following a reaction to red meat.
According to The Associated Press, Alpha-gal syndrome, first linked to bites from the Lone Star tick in 2011, has caused an estimated 100,000 Americans to develop sudden Allergies to beef, pork, and other mammalian meat. Until now, no fatal cases had been confirmed.
The new case report, published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, details the man’s sudden decline and the evidence pointing to the rare allergy. Dr. Thomas Platts-Mills of the University of Virginia — the same researcher who helped identify the syndrome over a decade ago — led the study.
Federal health officials have not commented, but experts say this appears to be the first thoroughly documented fatal reaction.
“It’s possible other deaths have happened but were assumed to be from other causes,” said Joshua Benoit, a tick biologist at the University of Cincinnati.