Anaphylaxis

A 47-year-old man from New Jersey died hours after eating beef, in what University of Virginia researchers say is the first confirmed death from alpha-gal syndrome, a tick-associated allergy to red meat. Post-mortem testing at UVA Health revealed severe sensitization to the sugar alpha-gal, implicating a fatal anaphylactic reaction. The condition, associated with bites from Lone Star ticks, can trigger delayed allergic responses to mammalian meats such as beef, pork and lamb.