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UVA Case Report Confirms First Known Death From Tick-Linked Alpha-Gal Meat Allergy

Postmortem biomarkers consistent with fatal anaphylaxis are prompting calls for wider testing and prevention.

A close-up of a lone star tick, the most frequent spreader of alpha-gal syndrome in the U.S.
This undated photo provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a female Lone Star tick, which despite its Texas-sounding name, is found mainly in the Southeast. At least 100,000 people in the U.S. have become allergic to red meat since 2010 because of a weird syndrome triggered by tick bites. That's according to a new government report. But health officials believe more have the problem and don’t know it, and the actual number is more than than four times higher. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday, July 27, 2023 released two reports on the growing tick-borne allergy problem. (James Gathany/CDC via AP)
© Jay Ondreicka via Shutterstock
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Overview

  • The peer-reviewed case, published in JACI: In Practice, links a September 2024 New Jersey death to alpha-gal syndrome based on postmortem blood findings.
  • A healthy 47-year-old airline pilot became ill about four hours after eating a hamburger and was later pronounced dead following an initial autopsy labeled as sudden unexplained death.
  • Two weeks earlier, he experienced severe abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea a few hours after a steak dinner, an episode not recognized as an allergic reaction at the time.
  • Subsequent testing showed extremely high alpha-gal–specific IgE and elevated tryptase, findings the authors say are consistent with fatal anaphylaxis after mammalian meat consumption.
  • Researchers suspect sensitization from ankle bites likely caused by lone star tick larvae, though the vector is not definitively proven, and experts urge awareness of delayed GI-predominant reactions, consideration of exercise and alcohol as intensifiers, and stronger tick-bite prevention.