AGAWAM, MA (WGGB/WSHM) -- A man in New Jersey is dead following what experts said is a meat-related allergy triggered by a tick bite, marking the first reported deadly case linked with these unusual circumstances.

The lone star tick, found in the northeast, south and the Midwest, can be associated with alpha-gal syndrome, also known as “the red meat allergy.”  “We’ve all heard of Lyme disease. There’s Rocky Mountain spotted fever, but you can also get certain sensitivities. One is called alpha-gal syndrome or alpha-gal allergy,” said Natasha Wright, an entomologist with Braman Termite and Pest Elimination.

Wright said alpha-gal is a sugar molecule that exists in pretty much all mammals except monkeys. Humans do not have alpha-gal.  “It’s also in the saliva of ticks, so when a tick bites you, your body reacts to it. It sends reinforcements that say, ‘something foreign is in the body,’” she explained.

In the case of someone consuming meat, which contained the alpha-gal molecule, the body is then sent into defense mode, which can produce hives, swelling, and even anaphylactic shock in extreme cases.  “You would always protect yourself against ticks for whatever reason, but not eating meat again is a pretty big reason for most people,” she added.

While not everyone will get it, it’s important to know how you can protect yourself.  “And I know it’s also called red meat allergy, but it’s not just red meat, it’s pork, so it’s pretty much anything that’s not fish and poultry and, once you get it, there’s some medications that you can’t take because there’s alpha-gal in those medications or in those vaccines,” Wright said.

Like most diseases or illnesses associated with ticks, prevention is key, including avoiding areas of higher vegetation, using repellent, and checking your body for ticks.

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