The first death related to a tick-borne allergy has been reported. A New Jersey airline pilot died after developing alpha-gal syndrome. The tick bite creates an allergy to red meat.
According to NBC, researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine confirmed the death. The man died after eating a hamburger at a cookout in 2024. Returning home, he passed out later that day and died. It was the second time the man fell ill. Two weeks previously, he also became sick while eating a steak while camping.
He was unaware that he had a tick-borne allergy.
"The tragedy is that they didn't think of that episode as anaphylaxis, and therefore didn't connect it to the beef at the time," said Dr. Thomas Platts-Mills. "The level he had is basically only seen in fatal cases of anaphylaxis. His level was 2,000. The highest level I've seen in practice of a person who survived is 100."
Tick Bite
Further testing revealed he suffered from a red meat allergy transmitted by a tick bite. This is the first time someone has died from the allergy. Dr. Scott Commins, an allergy immunology specialist at the University of North Carolina Department of Medicine in Chapel Hill, weighed in on the death.
"Food allergy deaths are really rare, and they usually happen in people that have underlying asthma or some other kind of medical condition. So it takes a perfect storm," Commins said.
Researchers are concerned about the rise in ticks as the insect continues to spread.
"A large and increasing population of the United States is being exposed to the Lone Star tick, both because the tick is moving north and because there are now large populations of deer in many states," they wrote.
Commins says those who have been bitten by a tick should be aware.
"When someone has a tick bite, we just ask them to be mindful about stomach upset or itching or hives that might occur three to six hours after eating either red meat or maybe some high-fat dairy like ice cream or milkshakes," Commins said.
It's possible the allergy may eventually fade over time as long as no further bites happen.
"It's possible, through tick bite avoidance, that after three to four, maybe five years, it'll fade," he said.
