New Jersey man becomes first documented death due to red meat allergy

In September 2024, a 47-year-old man from New Jersey, an airline pilot, died after eating a hamburger. A study conducted at the University of Virginia indicates that the man had a congenital allergy to alpha-gal, which can cause life-threatening reactions. Initially, after eating steak during a family picnic, he felt discomfort in his stomach, but his condition improved. Two weeks later, while attending a barbecue, the man again experienced unexplained symptoms and was found unconscious in the bathroom.

Source ABC

The death was initially classified as "sudden unexplained death," but after adjusting the autopsy results, doctors found that the man had suffered a severe allergic reaction consistent with the clinical picture of anaphylaxis. This rare but dangerous allergy, known as alpha-gal syndrome, is caused by tick bites that carry the alpha-gal sugar found in most mammals. The importance of this case is to raise awareness of the potentially dangerous reaction to red meat caused by tick bites, including in the Eastern United States.

Symptoms of this syndrome can include rashes, nausea, and serious stomach and respiratory problems, which can occur several hours after eating red meat. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), alpha-gal allergy can become a serious health threat if there are a significant number of patients and threatens to make tick bite prevention campaigns necessary.