NJ man who died after eating a hamburger in September 2024, believed to be first death of meat allergy after tick bites, study published 14 Nov 2025

[Rikissa]

Tick bites can cause Lyme disease (Borreliosis), tick-borne encephalitis, as well as other diseases, but now there is yet another danger, namely meat allergy, known as alpha-gal syndrome. Best to be careful if you get an allergic reaction after having eaten meat, and knowing that you have had tick-bites recently.

1st death linked to alpha-gal syndrome, a meat allergy spread by ticks, reported in N.J., researchers say

A New Jersey man is the first person believed to have died from alpha-gal syndrome, a meat allergy triggered by a tick bite, researchers say.

www.cbsnews.com

New Jersey man dies from meat allergy triggered by tick bite

A man in New Jersey has died from a meat allergy that people can develop after being bitten by certain tick species.

www.livescience.com

 

[mickey2942]

"The man's name was not released, nor was the location he went camping.".

And at the end of the article, Doctors say that "awareness" is "key".

So, wouldn't it be important to know where this man had been camping?! To be "aware" of the potential for ticks in the area?!

 

[Rikissa]

"The man's name was not released, nor was the location he went camping.".

And at the end of the article, Doctors say that "awareness" is "key".

So, wouldn't it be important to know where this man had been camping?! To be "aware" of the potential for ticks in the area?!

The tick mentioned in the cbsnews.com article is the Lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum - Wikipedia and the red area here is where it's found, and there has been reports of it in the blue areas:

 

[LittleSeaTree]

"The man's name was not released, nor was the location he went camping.".

And at the end of the article, Doctors say that "awareness" is "key".

So, wouldn't it be important to know where this man had been camping?! To be "aware" of the potential for ticks in the area?!

"The man's name was not released, nor was the location he went camping.".

And at the end of the article, Doctors say that "awareness" is "key".

So, wouldn't it be important to know where this man had been camping?! To be "aware" of the potential for ticks in the area?!

Maybe because they are simply ~everywhere~? This morning around 3 AM, I was doing my usual flip from left side to right side, and brushed my ear settling back into my pillow and felt something on my outer ear (Helix, looked it up) and sure enough, Deer/Black-legged tick attached. I happened to be in NJ, too, but all of these states have different species of the little creeps carrying a plethora of infections. Such a drag!

 

[MissPie]

This is the range of the Lone Star Tick in the USA according to the CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/maps/lone_star_tick.pdf

 

[mickey2942]

This is the range of the Lone Star Tick in the USA according to the CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/maps/lone_star_tick.pdf
View attachment 625274

Thanks. Not going east of the Mississippi.

 

[LittleSeaTree]

Thanks. Not going east of the Mississippi.

Quite understandable!

 

[MelmothTheLost]

The effect of the allergy is very far reaching:

Those affected can no longer eat red meat or its derivatives; beef, pork, lamb, rabbit, horse, goat and sheep, as well as their entrails, cause allergies following the tick bite and the production of IgE immunoglobulins. Other foods at risk are bouillon cubes, ready-made sauces, condiments and meat extracts but also milk, dairy products, butter and yogurt. Even the edible jellies or those used to coat some drugs, if produced from animal collagen, can cause problems. AND Poultry and fish can be eaten since this disaccharide is not present in birds and fish products.

The tick that makes you almost "vegetarian" due to an allergy to red meat: what happens with the bite

There is a food allergy, known as alpha-gal syndromewhich can develop after a tick bite Lone star (Amblyomma americanum): “injects” a sugar called sugar into our body galactose-α-1,3-galactosewhich our immune system does not recognize and attacks as a real one allergentriggering an allergic...

uisjournal.com

I read another article on this a few days ago which mentioned a couple of radical environmental scientists who support the deliberate spread of infected ticks to effectively force near-vegetarianism on the US populace. I've been trying to find it again but haven't been able to do so, so if anyone else can find it please post the URL.

 

[teeandcee]

It’s actually an allergy to mammals and mammal products. Milk, butter, cheese, even tuna in case it has dolphin in it. Processed white sugar is commonly whitened using bone char, so we have to avoid that. Natural flavors are avoided as they can include sugar. It goes on and on.

My husband and I both have it, although his produces far more alarming symptoms. He was in the ER twice with racing heart and blood pressures of 250/200 give or take before he was diagnosed. We’ve completely changed our diets, and he carries an EpiPen.