Researchers from the University of Virginia School of Medicine have, for the first time, officially confirmed a death caused by so-called “meat allergy,” which is transmitted through tick bites.

First Confirmed Fatal Case

The case involves a 47-year-old New Jersey resident who had previously been in perfect health but died suddenly about four hours after eating beef. For several months, the cause of his death remained unclear until Dr. Thomas Platts-Mills, a renowned allergy specialist from UVA Health, conducted a thorough investigation. Platts-Mills was the first to describe this condition several years ago and continues to study its effects on patients.

How Meat Allergy Develops After a Lone Star Tick Bite

The allergy develops after a bite from the Lone Star tick, which can cause the immune system to become sensitive to alpha-gal—a sugar naturally found in the meat of mammals. Once sensitized, a person may experience allergic reactions after consuming beef, pork, or lamb. Common symptoms include skin rashes, nausea, and vomiting. Scientists have long suspected that in severe cases, life-threatening anaphylaxis could occur, but until now, no fatal case had been officially confirmed.

Platts-Mills emphasizes that if severe abdominal pain occurs 3–5 hours after eating meat, it could be a sign of anaphylaxis. Tick bites that itch for more than a week, or tick larvae—often called “chiggers”—can also trigger or worsen sensitization to mammalian meat. However, most people with mild or moderate hives can manage their symptoms with an appropriate diet.

Timeline of Events Before Death

The man’s name has not been disclosed. In the summer of 2024, he went camping with his family. One evening, they had steak for dinner around 10:00 p.m. Around 2:00 a.m., he woke up with severe abdominal pain, diarrhea, and vomiting. By morning, he felt better, but later admitted to his son that the episode had seemed life-threatening.

About two weeks later, unaware that he had developed a meat allergy, he attended a barbecue and ate a hamburger. Shortly after 7:00 p.m., he began to feel unwell, and at 7:37 p.m., his son found him unconscious in the bathroom.

Autopsy Results and Analysis

The autopsy did not reveal an obvious cause of death; the official cause was listed as “sudden unexplained death.” The man’s wife disagreed with this conclusion and consulted another doctor, who contacted Platts-Mills and his team to investigate a possible link to alpha-gal.

Blood tests taken after death showed a pronounced sensitization to alpha-gal and a strong immune response consistent with fatal anaphylaxis.

Possible Factors That Worsened the Reaction

According to specialists, several factors may have contributed to the severity of the allergic reaction: drinking beer with the hamburger, exposure to ragweed pollen, and physical exertion that day. Relatives also noted that the man rarely ate red meat, which may have influenced his immune response.

Growing Tick Populations Increase Risk

Platts-Mills urges doctors to be more vigilant with patients who may develop this allergy or are at risk. He notes that deer populations are rapidly increasing in many states, creating favorable conditions for the spread of the Lone Star tick.

It is important for both doctors and patients living in areas with a high prevalence of the Lone Star tick to be aware of the risk of sensitization. If unexpected episodes of severe abdominal pain occur several hours after eating mammalian meat, it is necessary to check for possible sensitization to the alpha-gal oligosaccharide.

Publication of Results

Details of this case have been published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice. The article is available in open access, and the research team received the widow’s consent to publish the data.