Two summers ago, a 47-year-old New Jersey man and his family took a camping trip. By all indications, the man was healthy. He flew commercial jets. After a day of play, the family ate a late dinner at 10 pm. According to a case study published in 2025, in The Journal of Allergy and Immunology, while they usually dined on chicken, that night, they enjoyed a beef steak. Subsequently, “the man awoke at 2:00 AM with abdominal discomfort, which became so severe that he was writhing in pain, having diarrhea and vomiting. After 2 hours, his condition improved, and he went back to sleep. In the morning, he felt well enough to walk 5 miles and then ate breakfast.”
The man and his wife talked about consulting a physician, but decided there wasn’t much to tell a doctor about the event. Privately, according to the study, he told one of his sons: “I thought I was going to die.”
Fast forward two weeks; the family returned home to New Jersey. The husband and wife attended a 3PM barbeque where he ate a hamburger and enjoyed a beer. Returning home, he mowed the lawn. He experienced no indigestion or other stomach ailments. His wife went out at 7PM thinking he was fine. At 7:20PM, the man went to the bathroom. Ten minutes later, his son was on the phone to his mother letting her know that his father was getting sick again. By 7:37PM, the man’s son was calling 911. When the paramedics arrived, he was unconscious on the bathroom floor. EMTs started resuscitation measures, which, according to the study, “lasted for two hours which included transferring the patient to hospital, but at 10:22 PM, he was declared dead.”
On November 13, 2025, news outlets across the country announced the “first fatality” from a “red meat allergy” caused by a tick bite. The New Jersey resident had died from an undiagnosed case of what is called Alpha-gal Syndrome, also known as AGS.
Many people refer to AGS as a “red meat” allergy; but, it’s not that simple. In fact, the story of Alpha-gal Syndrome from discovery to diagnosis is mind-boggling.
Enter Thomas Platt-Mills, a Brit by birth and training, he is a Professor of Medicine and Microbiology at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. In 2004, a new cancer drug, called Cetuximab, was being used to treat colorectal cancer. In an interview, Dr. Platt-Mills noted patients living in Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, southern Missouri and eastern Oklahoma, were having bad allergic reactions to the drug. Colleagues in those states reached out to Platt-Mills for help. They discovered the use of Cetuximab was causing the body to create antibodies to fight the drug. Researchers ultimately concluded patients exhibiting allergic reactions were allergic to the drug’s gelatin caps which contained the carbohydrate molecule galactose-α-1,3-galactose–called alpha-gal for short.
If you remember your high school science, every carbohydrate (-tose) needs an enzyme (-tase) to convert the carbohydrate to energy. Humans, however, no longer have a corresponding -tase to break down galactose-α-1,3-galactose. According to Jeff Wilson, M.D., an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Asthma, Allergy, and Clinical Immunology at the University of Virginia Medical School who works with Dr. Platt-Mills “because of a few mutations over the past ~20 some million years … humans don’t intrinsically synthesize alpha-gal.” But, our bodies also aren’t normally bothered by alpha-gal molecules.
Platt-Mills and his researchers identified the states where the Cetuximab patients lived; then, one researcher looked at what other ailments existed in those areas. He discovered Rocky Mountain Spotted fever was a common diagnosis. And Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever comes from the bite of a very specific tick.
Enter the culprit: the lone star tick. We know tick bites leave behind pathogens causing illnesses like Lyme disease. But the lone star tick has a cameo role in that, along with the ability to transmit disease, it can leave behind a carbohydrate molecule which can cause an allergic reaction.
The lone star tick gets its name from the female tick who bears one white spot on her back–not from the Lone Star State of Texas. These ticks cover a wide area of the Eastern and Southern U.S.. According to researchers at Rutgers University, the tick was first described in 1754. They were plentiful at the time; but by the 1800s, due to habitat destruction and deer hunting, the population in New Jersey declined. But the lone star ticks are back. In New Jersey they like the woodlands, the coast and even your backyard. They are known to be aggressive in their search for blood–call them tiny Draculas.
Pratt-Mills and his research team eventually determined the lone star tick could leave alpha gal molecules behind with a bite. Thus, those patients who were allergic to Cetuximab likely had alpha-gal molecules in their systems before treatment started.
Lone star ticks need blood meals to reproduce and grow. The ticks dine on mammals, like deer, fox, mice, your dog–any non-primate mammal. Since those mammals have alpha-gal in their systems, the lone star tick ingests the alpha-gal carbohydrate molecules from the blood of those mammals.
Depending on what you eat, you too consume alpha-gal molecules. The molecules are found in red meats (beef, lamb, and pork); but, the molecules are also found in consumables that might surprise you. Gelatins used to make medical capsules contain alpha-gal, as do gummy candies. If your french fries, for example, are cooked in lard, tallow, or suet, you will ingest alpha-gal. Foods made with beef broth, beef bouillon or beef stock also contain alpha-gal. Chicken, turkey and fish do not contain alpha-gal.
When the lone star tick dines on you, it potentially leaves behind the alpha-gal carbohydrate. Your body then creates what are called IgE antibodies. The human body usually generates these IgE antibodies to fight parasites and some allergens. IgE antibodies aren’t the ones that rush to protect us from bacterial or viral infections, for example. Once the IgE antibodies exist in the body, they mount a response during the digestion of red meat or other products containing alpha-gal. Those IgE antibodies attack the alpha-gal molecules, which in turn cause an allergic reaction.
It’s as though the lone star tick bite trains the body to recognize and defend against alpha gal.
The allergic reaction is not immediate. In fact, it happens somewhere between 3-to-6 hours after ingesting food containing alpha-gal molecules. The allergic reaction can be intensified if a person consumes alcohol with a meal. Researchers think the delayed reaction is connected to the time it takes to digest food.
The first reactive sign is hives. Then there is a swelling of the lips. Next, the digestive track goes into over-drive causing vomiting, cramping and diarrhea. Potentially, like the case of the New Jersey airline pilot, a person can die. Many people diagnosed with AGS carry EpiPens.
The bite of the lone star tick apparently does not leave behind a rash. Researchers report the bite of the lone star tick can cause itching at the site for a week or so. And should that itching occur, it’s likely you will subsequently develop Alpha-gal Syndrome.
The only treatment for AGS is to avoid eating products containing alpha-gal. Over time, some people see a lessening of symptoms, but researchers don’t know why. Some people, once bitten, have no problems. Dr. Wilson advises people diagnosed with AGS to try and avoid subsequent lone star tick bites.
“The higher the levels of alpha-gal IgE [antibodies]–such as is apt to happen with recurrent tick bites–the more likely someone is to develop allergic reactions to red meat,” Dr. Wilson wrote in an email. “But, not everyone who makes a high alpha-gal IgE develops red meat allergy and some with relatively modest levels of alpha-gal IgE can still react to red meat.”
This is when academics say: More research is needed.
To avoid bites, wear tick repellent when you mow the lawn, work in the garden, or walk in wild areas. Staying on well-groomed paths is advised. The Centers for Disease Control notes that the lone star tick “is widely distributed in the Northeast, South, and Midwest United States.” So don’t let your guard down while traveling or vacationing.
Consumer Reports evaluates tick repellents. The University of Rhode Island’s TickEncounter website has tips on its TickSmart prevention page; it also has a page providing photos to help people identify various ticks. Insect Shield is a company which sells clothing treated with permethrin–an insecticide. The company also treats personal clothing. The most comprehensive site about AGS is called Alpha-gal Information. The site is run by those managing AGS in their own lives and is heavily sourced with research articles.
Learn more:
Lone Star Tick Surveillance: https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/data-research/facts-stats/lone-star-tick-surveillance.html
Alpha-gal Information: https://alphagalinformation.org/
University of Rhode Island TickEncounter: https://web.uri.edu/tickencounter/
Insect Shield: https://www.insectshield.com/Two summers ago, a 47-year-old New Jersey man and his family took a camping trip. By all indications, the man was healthy. He flew commercial jets. After a day of play, the family ate a late dinner at 10 pm. According to a case study published in 2025, in The Journal of Allergy and Immunology, while they usually dined on chicken, that night, they enjoyed a beef steak. Subsequently, “the man awoke at 2:00 AM with abdominal discomfort, which became so severe that he was writhing in pain, having diarrhea and vomiting. After 2 hours, his condition improved, and he went back to sleep. In the morning, he felt well enough to walk 5 miles and then ate breakfast.”
The man and his wife talked about consulting a physician, but decided there wasn’t much to tell a doctor about the event. Privately, according to the study, he told one of his sons: “I thought I was going to die.”
Fast forward two weeks; the family returned home to New Jersey. The husband and wife attended a 3PM barbeque where he ate a hamburger and enjoyed a beer. Returning home, he mowed the lawn. He experienced no indigestion or other stomach ailments. His wife went out at 7PM thinking he was fine. At 7:20PM, the man went to the bathroom. Ten minutes later, his son was on the phone to his mother letting her know that his father was getting sick again. By 7:37PM, the man’s son was calling 911. When the paramedics arrived, he was unconscious on the bathroom floor. EMTs started resuscitation measures, which, according to the study, “lasted for two hours which included transferring the patient to hospital, but at 10:22 PM, he was declared dead.”
On November 13, 2025, news outlets across the country announced the “first fatality” from a “red meat allergy” caused by a tick bite. The New Jersey resident had died from an undiagnosed case of what is called Alpha-gal Syndrome, also known as AGS.
Many people refer to AGS as a “red meat” allergy; but, it’s not that simple. In fact, the story of Alpha-gal Syndrome from discovery to diagnosis is mind-boggling.
Enter Thomas Platt-Mills, a Brit by birth and training, he is a Professor of Medicine and Microbiology at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. In 2004, a new cancer drug, called Cetuximab, was being used to treat colorectal cancer. In an interview, Dr. Platt-Mills noted patients living in Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, southern Missouri and eastern Oklahoma, were having bad allergic reactions to the drug. Colleagues in those states reached out to Platt-Mills for help. They discovered the use of Cetuximab was causing the body to create antibodies to fight the drug. Researchers ultimately concluded patients exhibiting allergic reactions were allergic to the drug’s gelatin caps which contained the carbohydrate molecule galactose-α-1,3-galactose–called alpha-gal for short.
If you remember your high school science, every carbohydrate (-tose) needs an enzyme (-tase) to convert the carbohydrate to energy. Humans, however, no longer have a corresponding -tase to break down galactose-α-1,3-galactose. According to Jeff Wilson, M.D., an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Asthma, Allergy, and Clinical Immunology at the University of Virginia Medical School who works with Dr. Platt-Mills “because of a few mutations over the past ~20 some million years … humans don’t intrinsically synthesize alpha-gal.” But, our bodies also aren’t normally bothered by alpha-gal molecules.
Platt-Mills and his researchers identified the states where the Cetuximab patients lived; then, one researcher looked at what other ailments existed in those areas. He discovered Rocky Mountain Spotted fever was a common diagnosis. And Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever comes from the bite of a very specific tick.
Enter the culprit: the lone star tick. We know tick bites leave behind pathogens causing illnesses like Lyme disease. But the lone star tick has a cameo role in that, along with the ability to transmit disease, it can leave behind a carbohydrate molecule which can cause an allergic reaction.
The lone star tick gets its name from the female tick who bears one white spot on her back–not from the Lone Star State of Texas. These ticks cover a wide area of the Eastern and Southern U.S.. According to researchers at Rutgers University, the tick was first described in 1754. They were plentiful at the time; but by the 1800s, due to habitat destruction and deer hunting, the population in New Jersey declined. But the lone star ticks are back. In New Jersey they like the woodlands, the coast and even your backyard. They are known to be aggressive in their search for blood–call them tiny Draculas.
Pratt-Mills and his research team eventually determined the lone star tick could leave alpha gal molecules behind with a bite. Thus, those patients who were allergic to Cetuximab likely had alpha-gal molecules in their systems before treatment started.
Lone star ticks need blood meals to reproduce and grow. The ticks dine on mammals, like deer, fox, mice, your dog–any non-primate mammal. Since those mammals have alpha-gal in their systems, the lone star tick ingests the alpha-gal carbohydrate molecules from the blood of those mammals.
Depending on what you eat, you too consume alpha-gal molecules. The molecules are found in red meats (beef, lamb, and pork); but, the molecules are also found in consumables that might surprise you. Gelatins used to make medical capsules contain alpha-gal, as do gummy candies. If your french fries, for example, are cooked in lard, tallow, or suet, you will ingest alpha-gal. Foods made with beef broth, beef bouillon or beef stock also contain alpha-gal. Chicken, turkey and fish do not contain alpha-gal.
When the lone star tick dines on you, it potentially leaves behind the alpha-gal carbohydrate. Your body then creates what are called IgE antibodies. The human body usually generates these IgE antibodies to fight parasites and some allergens. IgE antibodies aren’t the ones that rush to protect us from bacterial or viral infections, for example. Once the IgE antibodies exist in the body, they mount a response during the digestion of red meat or other products containing alpha-gal. Those IgE antibodies attack the alpha-gal molecules, which in turn cause an allergic reaction.
It’s as though the lone star tick bite trains the body to recognize and defend against alpha gal.
The allergic reaction is not immediate. In fact, it happens somewhere between 3-to-6 hours after ingesting food containing alpha-gal molecules. The allergic reaction can be intensified if a person consumes alcohol with a meal. Researchers think the delayed reaction is connected to the time it takes to digest food.
The first reactive sign is hives. Then there is a swelling of the lips. Next, the digestive track goes into over-drive causing vomiting, cramping and diarrhea. Potentially, like the case of the New Jersey airline pilot, a person can die. Many people diagnosed with AGS carry EpiPens.
The bite of the lone star tick apparently does not leave behind a rash. Researchers report the bite of the lone star tick can cause itching at the site for a week or so. And should that itching occur, it’s likely you will subsequently develop Alpha-gal Syndrome.
The only treatment for AGS is to avoid eating products containing alpha-gal. Over time, some people see a lessening of symptoms, but researchers don’t know why. Some people, once bitten, have no problems. Dr. Wilson advises people diagnosed with AGS to try and avoid subsequent lone star tick bites.
“The higher the levels of alpha-gal IgE [antibodies]–such as is apt to happen with recurrent tick bites–the more likely someone is to develop allergic reactions to red meat,” Dr. Wilson wrote in an email. “But, not everyone who makes a high alpha-gal IgE develops red meat allergy and some with relatively modest levels of alpha-gal IgE can still react to red meat.”
This is when academics say: More research is needed.
To avoid bites, wear tick repellent when you mow the lawn, work in the garden, or walk in wild areas. Staying on well-groomed paths is advised. The Centers for Disease Control notes that the lone star tick “is widely distributed in the Northeast, South, and Midwest United States.” So don’t let your guard down while traveling or vacationing.
Consumer Reports evaluates tick repellents. The University of Rhode Island’s TickEncounter website has tips on its TickSmart prevention page; it also has a page providing photos to help people identify various ticks. Insect Shield is a company which sells clothing treated with permethrin–an insecticide. The company also treats personal clothing. The most comprehensive site about AGS is called Alpha-gal Information. The site is run by those managing AGS in their own lives and is heavily sourced with research articles.
Learn more:
Lone Star Tick Surveillance: https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/data-research/facts-stats/lone-star-tick-surveillance.html
Alpha-gal Information: https://alphagalinformation.org/
University of Rhode Island TickEncounter: https://web.uri.edu/tickencounter/
Insect Shield: https://www.insectshield.com/
