American scientists have documented the first death caused by a red meat allergy that developed after a tick bite. This was reported by researchers from the University of Virginia in an article published on November 12 in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice. This is reported by UNN, citing Meduza.
Details
According to researchers, in the summer of 2024, a 47-year-old man died from an allergic reaction to mammal meat. The first symptoms appeared after an outdoor dinner – the man ate a beef steak and experienced severe nausea and diarrhea throughout the night. The next morning he felt better and did not seek medical attention.
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Two weeks later, at home in New Jersey, after eating a hamburger, the man's symptoms recurred. Relatives and medics tried to resuscitate him, but failed to save his life. Forensic experts initially determined the cause of death as "sudden unexplained death."
After the investigation, the deceased's wife contacted Dr. Erin McPheeley, who connected with a team of scientists from the University of Virginia. Blood tests showed that the man died due to alpha-gal syndrome – an allergy to red meat caused by tick bites. In the summer of 2024, he was found to have about 12–13 bites from Amblyomma americanum tick larvae, which caused the allergy to develop.