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First Death Documented From Tick-Induced Meat Allergy
Alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) is an immune condition brought about by certain tick bites, which causes a life-threatening anaphylactic reaction in individuals who consume mammalian meat, sometimes with a delayed onset. A 47-year-old male from New Jersey is the first documented death from AGS. He first reacted to a steak on a camping trip; two weeks later, he consumed a hamburger and tragically died several hours later.1 Shifting tick habitats are exposing new people to AGS, and awareness is vital to reduce future harm.2
Dr. Thomas Platts-Mills, who discovered AGS and wrote a case study on the recent death, will be a featured presenter at the International Conference on Nutrition and Medicine in Washington, D.C., happening Aug. 13–15.
References
- Platts-Mills TAE, Workman LJ, Richards NE, Wilson JM, McFeely EM. Implications of a fatal anaphylactic reaction occurring 4 hours after eating beef in a young man with IgE antibodies to galactose-α-1,3-galactose. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2025;13(12):3422-3424.
- Platts-Mills TAE, Gangwar RS, Workman L, Wilson JM. The immunology of alpha-gal syndrome: history, tick bites, IgE, and delayed anaphylaxis to mammalian meat. Immunol Rev. 2025;332(1):e70035.
