Newark, NJ – A 47-year-old airline pilot from New Jersey has been confirmed as the first person to die from alpha-gal syndrome (AGS), a severe meat allergy caused by tick bites. His case, now documented in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, has raised urgent concerns among public health experts.
The man first fell ill during a family camping trip in the summer of 2024 after eating a steak dinner. His symptoms included extreme abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea. The unusual sequence of events was later reported by People, which highlighted the medical investigation that followed.
According to the published research, he recovered the next day but told his son that during the episode he had feared for his life. At that point, the family did not realize they were witnessing an early warning sign of a rare tick-borne allergy.
Collapse After Eating Beef a Second Time
Two weeks later, the man attended a barbecue and ate a hamburger around 3 p.m. Roughly four and a half hours afterward — the typical delayed reaction window associated with alpha-gal — he was found unconscious on the bathroom floor by one of his sons. Vomit was present nearby, and the son immediately called 911.
Paramedics attempted resuscitation for nearly two hours and transported him to a hospital, but he was pronounced dead at 10:22 p.m.
An autopsy listed the death as “sudden unexplained death,” leaving the family without answers.
Wife Contacts Experts, Leading to a Breakthrough
Seeking clarity, the man’s wife contacted pediatrician Dr. Erin McFeely, a family friend. Together they reached out to Dr. Thomas Platts-Mills of the University of Virginia Health System — the scientist who originally discovered alpha-gal syndrome.
After reviewing blood samples, Dr. Platts-Mills confirmed that the man had died from alpha-gal syndrome, making it the first medically verified fatality linked to the condition.
Tick Bites Often Misidentified as “Chiggers”
The man had no obvious tick bites, but his wife reported that he had a dozen “chigger” bites on his ankle. In many parts of the eastern United States, these so-called “chiggers” are actually larval lone star ticks, a species known for transmitting alpha-gal through their saliva.
Alpha-gal is a sugar molecule found in:
- Beef
- Pork
- Lamb
- Most other mammalian meats
Once sensitized, a person can experience delayed allergic reactions ranging from gastrointestinal distress to full anaphylaxis.
Only Treatment: Avoid Mammalian Meat
There is currently no cure for AGS. The only way to prevent reactions is to avoid all red meat and mammalian-derived products.
Dr. Platts-Mills emphasized the importance of awareness in tick-prone regions.
“Severe abdominal pain occurring 3 to 5 hours after eating beef, pork or lamb should be investigated as a possible episode of anaphylaxis,” he noted.
“Tick bites that itch for more than a week… can induce or increase sensitization to mammalian-derived meat.”
A Growing Threat as Tick Populations Expand
Alpha-gal syndrome is becoming more common as lone star tick populations spread across the eastern and southern United States. Health experts warn that AGS is often overlooked because its symptoms occur hours after eating, making the allergy hard to recognize.
The New Jersey case underscores how dangerous the syndrome can be — and why both doctors and the public must become more vigilant as tick-related illnesses continue to rise.
