Alpha-gal death: Man dies from tick-bite meat allergy

Main Idea: Researchers at the University of Virginia say a New Jersey man likely died from alpha-gal syndrome, a tick-bite meat allergy, in what appears to be the first documented death from the condition.

Key Points:

• Alpha-gal syndrome can cause severe reactions to red meat hours after eating, including stomach pain, vomiting, trouble breathing, and swelling.
• The man became sick after eating steak on a camping trip, then later after a hamburger at a barbecue before he was found unconscious and died.
• Blood tests supported the alpha-gal diagnosis, but the exact tick bite was not fully proven; the link was based on reported bites that may have been mistaken for chiggers.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says awareness is growing, and it has released training to help doctors spot and diagnose the condition earlier.