The death of a 47-year-old man in New Jersey has been linked to an unusual allergy caused by tick bites, marking the first documented case of a fatal reaction to a red meat allergy associated with alpha-gal syndrome, reports BritPanorama.
The man collapsed in his bathroom, prompting an autopsy that failed to yield explanations for his sudden death, which was deemed unexplained. Following this, his widow sought the expertise of a pediatrician friend, Dr. Erin McFeely, who connected with Dr. Thomas Platts-Mills, an allergist at the University of Virginia. Platts-Mills had been researching the allergy linked to tick bites that sensitizes individuals to red meat.
Patients with alpha-gal syndrome typically experience delayed allergic reactions, manifesting hours after consuming beef, pork, or lamb. Symptoms often mimic food poisoning or gastrointestinal distress rather than classical allergic responses. Both Platts-Mills and McFeely speculated on the potential for having misidentified unexplained deaths as sudden heart failures, theorizing they might actually stem from severe allergic reactions to the sugar known as alpha-gal.
The man’s case was detailed in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology in Practice, illustrating the impact of tick bites on the rising incidence of alpha-gal syndrome. “This is the first time I’ve heard a story that I thought we could sort out,” Platts-Mills expressed, underscoring the significance of the case.
Tick bites turn deadly
The narrative commenced with the man suffering chigger bites, which were later identified as bites from baby lone star ticks. While camping with his family, he was bitten multiple times. These ticks thrive in high deer populations, which have greatly expanded due to environmental factors in the eastern United States. Platts-Mills explained, “That combination of so many deer and so many mothers and the larvae biting means that vast numbers of people are sensitized, of whom a minority get food-related symptoms and then are at risk of severe events.”
The CDC estimates that as many as 450,000 Americans may suffer from alpha-gal allergy, although Platts-Mills suspects as much as 5% of the population could be sensitized without knowledge. Many cases can be managed by avoiding red meat and related products, but symptoms vary from mild rashes to severe anaphylactic reactions.
After experiencing discomfort following a late steak dinner, the man’s condition deteriorated. His symptoms initially eased but became alarmingly severe after a subsequent cookout, leading to him being found unconscious in the bathroom uncontrollable by his son.
Subsequent analysis of his postmortem blood confirmed elevated levels of immunoglobulin E antibodies linked to an allergy to alpha-gal sugars, alongside dangerously high tryptase levels, a marker for severe allergic reactions. This indicated that the man had died as a direct result of consuming red meat, an unusual but critical endpoint in understanding alpha-gal syndrome.
The examination results suggest an urgent need for awareness surrounding this allergy, which remains largely unrecognized by medical professionals. A 2023 CDC survey indicated that many doctors lack knowledge or confidence in diagnosing it. “We gave them closure,” said Platts-Mills, highlighting the significance of understanding such fatal allergic reactions as the medical community grapples with emerging health challenges.
