Virginia will begin tracking alpha-gal syndrome, a tick-borne illness that causes red meat allergies, after anecdotal reports ...

Alpha-Gal Syndrome after Ixodes scapularis Tick Bite and Statewide Surveillance, Maine, USA, 2014–2023. Emerging Infectious Diseases. Volume 31, Number 4—April 2025. April 2025. Alpha-Gal ...

[Alpha-gal syndrome] went from low on my radar to probably the number one thing I talk about most. —Patrick Roden-Reynolds, Martha's Vineyard Program. Over the last decade the ticks have also made ...

Ticks are bad news in general, but the lone star tick brings an extra problem: it can leave behind a sugar molecule called ...

Alpha-gal syndrome is thought to be triggered by bites from the lone star tick. Emerging evidence suggests other ticks - found in other parts of the country - may also cause it.

Alpha-gal syndrome appears to be relatively rare, though exact numbers are hard to pin down. Salzer and her colleagues tallied about 110,000 suspected cases in the United States from 2010 to 2022 .

What is alpha-gal syndrome? The lone star tick can cause an allergic reaction known as alpha-gal syndrome. The tick's saliva contains a sugar molecule called galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose (alpha-gal).