One Man Is Bit By A Tick, Passes Away Through Meat Consumption

 

Image provided by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

A man is bitten by a tick and thinks little of the tick bite. His ignorance and unawareness to what the tick does to him is unnerving. The man, unknown to what the tick has transmitted to his body, eats a piece of meat. Soon after, he falls extremely ill, and later on, is pronounced dead by medical professionals. Such as a forty-seven year old airplane pilot, who was bitten by that same exact tick. When he ate a ounce of meat, NPR reported that he "fell ill after four hours of eating a hamburger at a barbecue.¹" This is to be the first death ever recorded by a transmission of "Alpha-Galactosidase Syndrome," done through a simple Lone Star Tick bite.

Image provided by the Mayo Clinic on the ecology of Lone Star Ticks.

This first ever fatal case of alpha-galactosidase syndrome, or "alpha-gal syndrome," is transmitted through the Lone Star Tick. Lone Star Ticks, as shown from the diagram above, house themselves in the southeastern and eastern United States.² The Lone Star Tick has a detailed record on what it can carry and transmit onto human beings. However, not many pay attention to this tick. Some confuse it for a Black-Legged Tick, otherwise known as a "Deer Tick." In this case, the forty-seven year old pilot confused the Lone Star Tick bites for a common insect- "chiggers." The wife of the man informs reporters that "earlier in the summer, he had about 12 or 13 chigger bites.¹" Medical professionals examined the bites to be Lone Star Tick bites instead.

Sequence of events of a Lone Star Tick bite provided by NPR.

As shown from the results of "alpha-gal syndrome," this syndrome is a severe meat allergy. Alpha-Galactosidase Syndrome is found in the presence of the Lone Star Tick's saliva.³  Beyond that scope of alpha-gal syndrome, scientists researched what other diseases can be transmitted through this tick. A report conducted in 2021 from the National Library of Medicine mentions diseases like "Rickettsia Rickettsii, Tularemia, and Ehrlichiosis.⁴" All three of these diseases being equally dangerous amongst each other, most notably, Ehrlichiosis.

Photos comparing the qualities of three different ticks, provided by New York-Presbyterian.

Luckily, future fatalities of alpha-gal syndrome transmitted by the Lone Star Tick are preventable. Reporters and professionals from the Mayo Clinic suggest that Lone Star Tick preventions can be done by "covering up, applying bug spray, and showering after indoor activity.⁵" Be weary, though, as regular tick or bug spray may not be effective to Lone Star Ticks. The same report from 2021 heavily emphasizes on the usage of "bug sprays with DEET chemicals and permethrin-treated clothing.⁴" Finally, people subjected to alpha-gal syndrome have the opportunity to eat other meats and vegetables. As far as other meats go, poultry is a common alternative.

References

¹ Pukatch, A. (2025, November 15). A red meat allergy caused by ticks killed a N.J. man. here’s what to know. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2025/11/15/nx-s1-5609908/red-meat-allergy-ticks-death-alpha-gal-syndrome

² Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. (2023, November 14). Guide to different tick species and the diseases they carry. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/alpha-gal-syndrome/in-depth/tick-species/art-20546861

³ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). About alpha-gal syndrome. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/alpha-gal-syndrome/about/index.html

⁴ Kennedy, A. C., BCE1, & Marshall, E. (2021, January 21). Lone star ticks (amblyomma americanum):: An emerging threat in Delaware. Delaware journal of public health. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8352541/#sec8

⁵ Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. (2025, August 8). Alpha-gal syndrome. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/alpha-gal-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20428608