RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — A once-rare disease that causes a person to develop a severe allergy to red meat is seeing an “explosive rise” across America, health experts warn.
Researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) report that more and more people throughout the United States are contracting alpha-gal syndrome (AGS), a tick-borne disease. Specifically, they found that there has been a 100-fold increase in cases between 2013 and 2024.
Data shows that this was driven in part by a recent spike in cases, with AGS’ incidence rate rising from 23.46% to 94.06% between 2021-22 and 2023-24, respectively.
“Alpha-gal syndrome has gone from a medical curiosity to a major public health issue in just a decade,” said Vinay Jahagirdar, M.D., the study’s co-author, in an Oct. 30 press release from VCU Health.
AGS is typically linked to the lone star tick, which can be found throughout Virginia. The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) describes it as an “aggressive biter” that can be identified by the white dot, or “lone star,” on its back.
While lone star ticks — and therefore AGS — were largely confined to southeastern states in the past, their reach has expanded both north and south in recent years.
After a person is bitten by an infected tick, their immune system develops antibodies to the sugar molecule galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose, which is found in the meat of mammals like beef, pork or lamb.
The allergic response can cause a variety of symptoms, including hives, swelling, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea. It can even cause a person to go into anaphylaxis shock — a life-threatening state where a patient’s throat closes up, preventing them from breathing. However, the allergic reaction is typically “not as bad as a full anaphylactic reaction that you think about needing an EpiPen for or anything,” Dr. Seth Mobley, a family medicine doctor in Arkansas, told Nexstar’s KNWA.
Many with AGS primarily experience the listed gastrointestinal symptoms, albeit frequently delayed. This can make it difficult for a person, or their doctor, to realize they have AGS. They may instead think it’s a digestive disorder like irritable bowel syndrome or a bad case of food poisoning.
“Alpha-gal syndrome is unlike any other food allergy we treat,” Jahagirdar said. “Symptoms often appear several hours after a person eats red meat, making it difficult to connect a meal with an allergic reaction. Many patients are misdiagnosed or go years without answers.”
It’s because of this uncertainty that education and awareness are so important, VCU Health said — especially given that AGS is on such a steep rise.
“The spread of ticks is bringing new allergic diseases to areas where doctors and patients may not expect them,” said Ravi Vachhani, M.D., another co-author in the study, in the release. “Recognizing this connection is key to protecting public health.”
A 2023 study published by the CDC did, however, show that most suspected cases of AGS over the previous five years were in Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia, as well as in parts of Kansas, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and North Carolina — all areas with a population of lone star ticks.
AGS is, unfortunately, incurable — though avoiding further tick bites may help antibody levels decrease over time, per VCU Health. Those who have contracted it can mitigate symptoms by avoiding red meat and, in some more sensitive cases, dairy products and/or gelatin. The CDC notes that some patients may not experience a reaction to every product that contains alpha-gal.
According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms of AGS can lessen or disappear over time, with some patients able to eat products with alpha-gal again within a year or two.
Hayden Hurtig, who was diagnosed with AGS while in middle school, explained to Nexstar’s WDAF that he would have some allergic reactions after eating red meat. After avoiding the meat for roughly seven years, Hurtig said he was once again able to eat it.
“That was the doctor’s best advice: if you can completely cut it out, you’ll be able to get over the allergy sooner than later,” Hurtig explained. “The more you eat it, the more it feeds it and [getting over it] will take longer.”
Health officials say that the best way to prevent alpha-gal syndrome is to avoid tick bites.
That includes wearing bug repellent with at least 20% DEET, picaridin, or IR3535, as well as pants and long-sleeved shirts while outdoors. The U.S. Forest Service also says to avoid areas with high grass and leaf litter.
After coming indoors, the Forest Service recommends bathing or showering as soon as possible, which can make finding ticks easier. Be sure to fully check your body for the presence of ticks.
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