'If only people knew what a tick could do' - the deadly meat allergies caused by tick bites - BBC

What the report says

BBC News reports that mammalian meat allergy, also known as alpha-gal syndrome, is becoming an increasing concern along Australia’s east coast, where bites from the eastern paralysis tick can trigger reactions to meat and other mammal-derived products. The report centres on Jeremy Webb, a teenager from north of Sydney who died in June 2022 after eating a beef sausage while camping. A coroner ruled in February, after an inquest sought by his family, that tick-induced mammalian meat allergy triggered fatal anaphylaxis alongside an asthma attack.

Jeremy’s mother, Myfanwy Webb, told the BBC the family had suspected a meat allergy but did not understand it could be life-threatening. The BBC says Jeremy had experienced nausea after eating meat from about age 10 and had been bitten by ticks while growing up near bushland. An earlier hospital episode after a restaurant meal was treated as asthma, though doctors had noted a suspected meat allergy.

The BBC attributes the discovery of the tick link in Australia to allergy specialist Prof Sheryl van Nunen in 2007. She and other experts describe diagnostic challenges because reactions can occur hours after exposure and not after every meal. Symptoms may include rashes, swelling, stomach cramps, vomiting and anaphylaxis; highly sensitive people may also react to gelatin, dairy, lanolin, fumes or other mammal-derived substances.

The report says suspected Australian cases have risen steadily, with tick expert Dr Alex Gofton citing more than 5,000 suspected cases based on lab data and an annual 22% increase since 2020. Experts cited by the BBC point to growing populations in tick-prone areas, wet La Niña years, greater awareness and testing as possible factors.