Subsequently, researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine were able to identify the first death resulting from what is known as “meat allergy” spread by ticks.
The bite of a lone star tick causes this allergy. Tick bites can cause an allergy to alpha-gal sugar, a sugar found in mammalian meat. People who develop an allergy to this sugar may experience allergy symptoms such as rash, nausea, and vomiting after eating beef, pork, or lamb.
Platts-Mills said the important information for the public is:
* First, severe abdominal pain that occurs 3 to 5 hours after eating beef, pork, or lamb should be investigated as a possible episode of anaphylaxis.
* Second, tick bites that itch for more than a week or tick larvae often called “chiggers” can trigger or increase sensitization to mammalian-derived meats.
He continued: “On the other hand, most individuals with mild to moderate episodes of urticaria can control symptoms by following an appropriate diet.”
## Death due to meat allergy
The man from New Jersey, who was not named, went camping with his wife and children in the summer of 2024. One night, they had a late dinner of steak at 10 p.m. The man woke up at 2 a.m. with severe abdominal pain, diarrhea and vomiting. He recovered by morning, but told his son he thought he was going to die.
Two weeks later, still unaware that he had a meat allergy, he ate a hamburger at a barbecue. He began to feel sick after 7 p.m., and his son found him passed out in the bathroom at 7:37.
The autopsy came back inconclusive, stating the cause as “sudden unexplained death.”
But the man’s wife remained unsatisfied. She asked a doctor to review the autopsy report; the doctor contacted Platts-Mills’ team to see if alpha-gal might have played a role.
Platts-Mills obtained samples of the man’s blood collected after his death, and found that he was sensitized to alpha-gal.
Furthermore, the blood indicated that the man had suffered a severe allergic reaction, similar to what is observed in fatal anaphylaxis cases.
When the man’s wife was asked about his history with tick bites, she said he had no bites last year, but had suffered 12 or 13 tick bites around his ankles this summer.
Platts-Mills and his colleagues suspect that several factors may have contributed to the severity of the man’s reaction, including drinking beer with the burger, exposure to ragweed pollen, and exercising that afternoon. Platts-Mills noted that the man’s family reported that he ate red meat very sparingly.
In the wake of the man’s death, Platts-Mills urged doctors to be cautious with people who have or are at risk of developing allergies.
Platts-Mills said: “It is important that both doctors and patients living in areas where lone star ticks are prevalent are aware of the risk of sensitization.”
He added: “More specifically, if they experience unexpected episodes of severe abdominal pain hours after eating mammalian meat, they should be screened for possible sensitization to the alpha-gal oligosaccharide.”
(Translations)
