Rare Red Meat Allergy Linked To More Tick Species

MONDAY, March 24, 2025 (HealthDay News) -- A rare red meat allergy, usually linked to a bite from the lone star tick, may also be caused by other tick species found in different parts of the U.S., a new report shows.

“Alpha-gal syndrome is relatively rare, but those who have it can have a full-on anaphylactic shock,” Douglas Norris, a professor of molecular microbiology and immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said in a report from NBC News.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates nearly 450,000 people in the U.S. have this condition.

Most cases are linked to the lone star tick, which is common in the Southeast and lower Midwest.