Tick-borne disease spreads, causing meat, dairy allergies

Emergency room visits have spiked across the Midwest this summer as millions of Americans grapple with tick bites, but a lesser-known tick-borne illness is causing particular alarm in some communities.

Alpha-gal syndrome, transmitted by the lone star tick, creates severe allergies to meat and dairy products that can last for years. The condition essentially forces people to adopt vegan diets, with some patients experiencing life-threatening reactions even to the smell of cooking meat.

The lone star tick, identifiable by a white dot on the female's back, is most common from Maine to Florida and in Texas, living primarily in wooded and grassy areas.

These ticks carry a sugar molecule called alpha-gal that, when transmitted to humans, triggers severe allergic reactions to mammalian products.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates as many as 450,000 people in the U.S. may have it. 

Patients report reactions so severe that smelling burgers on a grill can cause unconsciousness. The syndrome also affects everyday items containing animal byproducts, including lip balms, lotions and some bottled water, causing hives, coughing and wheezing.

Cases have become so widespread on Martha's Vineyard that restaurants there now offer special alpha-gal menus, according to report from The New York Times.

Nicole Cooper of Virginia, diagnosed with alpha-gal syndrome in December 2021, experienced symptoms for more than a year before receiving proper diagnosis. She was rushed to an emergency room unable to breathe, where doctors recognized a recurring rash on her arms.

"I was shocked when they wanted to run the blood test," Cooper told NewsNation's "Elizabeth Vargas Reports."

"I was, like, no, no, I really hate ticks," she continued. "I always wear my bug repellent when I'm out in the woods."

She became "fume reactive," unable to be around cooking meat or use cast iron pans previously used for meat. Even products such as dryer balls containing lanolin, derived from sheep, became off-limits.

The delayed reaction between exposure and symptoms makes alpha-gal syndrome particularly difficult to diagnose and treat.

Cooper remained highly reactive for two years before her symptoms began improving through strict avoidance of mammalian products.