New Brunswick, New Jersey — University of Virginia researchers say a 47-year-old New Jersey pilot who died in 2024 is the first documented fatality caused by alpha-gal syndrome, a severe meat allergy triggered by the bite of a lone star tick. The man’s death had initially been labeled “unexplained” after an autopsy, but new findings published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology In Practice link the cause to a severe allergic reaction.
According to the research team, the man experienced what they believe were two major allergic episodes in the weeks before his death. The first occurred during a family camping trip after he ate a steak, causing severe stomach pain, vomiting and diarrhea. He did not seek medical care. Weeks later, after eating a hamburger at a barbecue, he suffered the same symptoms before collapsing in his home. He was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Postmortem blood testing showed significant levels of alpha-gal antibodies and elevated tryptase, an enzyme associated with anaphylaxis. The man’s wife also reported that he had been bitten earlier that summer by insects he assumed were chiggers, but researchers say they were likely lone star tick larvae.
Scientists warn that alpha-gal syndrome is spreading as deer populations expand the tick’s range. A VCU study found a 100-fold increase in cases since 2013. There is no cure, but the condition can be managed through diet, avoidance of tick bites and emergency treatments such as epinephrine.
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