Uptick in 'Life-Threatening' Red Meat Tick Allergy Expected in Nebraska This Summer

by John Gage

As Nebraska summer approaches, outdoor enthusiasts have a new fear – the “red meat” tick. The small but destructive lone star tick has been a major cause behind the spread of alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) across the eastern part of the country, and in the past year, cases have been cropping up in Nebraska.

A bite from one of the ticks can leave a person with a lifelong allergy to red meat. The allergy is caused by the alpha-gal sugar molecule that is found in red meat like beef, pork, and venison, as well as the saliva of the lone star tick.

When a person is bitten by the tick and contracts alpha-gal, the immune system identifies the molecule as an invader, which then causes it to have a strong response when eating red meat that can range from mild to “life-threatening,” according to Jody Green, an entomologist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

So far, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that up to half a million Americans have contracted AGS and with summer weather meaning more people outside, cases are expected to increase.

The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), which started monitoring cases of the meat tick in January of 2025 told The Plains Sentinel they are aware of at least 33 recorded cases of AGS in the state since they began monitoring.

While the likelihood of getting AGS from the lone star tick increases in the spring and summer, DHHS said they have not been monitoring long enough to know whether AGS cases will continue to increase overall from last year. DHHS said that “presently, the largest populations of the Lone Star ticks are found in the eastern part of the state.”

Currently, there is no cure for AGS or a way for the spread of the lone star tick to be stopped, but researchers are working on therapies to lessen the impact of the disease.

The link between the red meat allergy and ticks was first discovered in 2002, but the spread of the lone star tick has greatly increased in the last decade. When first discovered, the lone star tick and AGS were mostly confined to the South, but cases of AGS have now been confirmed in at least 30 states.

In the meantime, Nebraskans can take precautions to limit the possibility of getting bitten by the tick.

“Reduce the number of ticks brought into the house by putting field clothes in a clothes dryer on high heat for 30 minutes,” Green recommends. “Regular, full body, tick checks on your person should be performed after coming in from the pastures. Lone star ticks are aggressive and will bite on the lower legs.”

The CDC also recommends using insect repellent or avoiding areas where you might come in contact with ticks.

— John Gage is the executive editor of The Plains Sentinel.