Tick bite blamed for Kansas man's near-fatal allergic reaction eating BBQ sandwich

Barbecue is a staple in most Midwestern diets. When paired with a side of potato salad, it becomes a mouth-watering meal. However, for one Kansas man, it nearly cost him his life, all thanks to a tick bite.

"I knew something was wrong when I was in the ER in September of this last year," Brian McCornack told FOX Weather.

Earlier that day, the professor and head of entomology at Kansas State University was at the state fair in Hutchinson, checking out insect collections and visiting colleagues. On his way home, he decided to stop for a brisket and pulled pork sandwich.

Two hours later, McCornack stopped to refuel and noticed his wrist was getting itchy, which he found strange at the time.

Upon arriving home in Manhattan, he developed hives all over his body. The itching became uncontrollable, accompanied by shaking and dizziness, and he had troubles breathing.

"My son thought I was having a heart attack," McCornack said as he decided to lie down to let things calm, taking some Benadryl to hopefully help.

Nothing was working. 

"This was not normal," he said. "I've never experienced that before, and went to the ER."

McCornack was experiencing anaphylactic shock, emergency doctors said, who weren't exactly sure of the cause at that time.

After undergoing several tests and trying different medications, doctors prescribed him an EpiPen in case the same thing happened after leaving the hospital. It wasn't until the following week, during a department presentation on alpha-gal transmission, that McCormack started connecting the dots.

"I said in my mind, ‘I think this is what I have,'" he recalled.

His wife thought the same.

What is alpha-gal syndrome? 

Alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) is a serious and potentially life-threatening allergic condition that can develop after a tick bite, according to the nation's top doctors. Growing evidence suggests that it is primarily associated with the bite of lone star ticks in the U.S., but other kinds of ticks have not been ruled out.

THOUSANDS AT RISK OF DEVELOPING DANGEROUS MEAT ALLERGY ASSOCIATED WITH TICKS, CDC WARNS

When ticks bite humans, they introduce a sugar molecule called alpha-gal into the body. This molecule, found in most mammals, comes from the blood of animals such as cows and sheep that the ticks usually bite. The molecule is then transmitted into the human's body after it attaches.

"Now what was fine before is no longer fine," McCornack said. "And that's why it takes time and exposure before your immune system begins to attack the alpha gal."

While the actual number of AGS cases in the U.S. is not known, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report showed that more than 110,000 suspected cases of AGS were identified between 2010 and 2022. 

Some people may even have the condition without being aware of it. 

The life-changing bite

In June of last year, McCornack experienced two lone star tick bites in quick succession. One bite was from a larger male tick, and the other was from an engorged nymph that had been feeding for a while. 

A month later, McCornack woke up one morning feeling like he had caught a stomach bug, which persisted for about a month.

"I think that's when my body was slowly responding to the meats and byproducts that I was eating," he said, noting that the immune response, in this particular case, takes time to develop antibodies to the alpha gal. "It wasn't like I got bit, and then the next day, I'm allergic to meat."

While people in all age groups can develop AGS, most cases have been reported in adults.

"I can still eat poultry, fish and shrimp, but being in a landlocked state, a meat state, that is definitely challenging," McCornack said.

Transitioning away from red meat has significantly altered McCornack's lifestyle. Aside from avoiding beef, pork or lamb – and even some rotisserie chicken – AGS has caused reactions to other foods that come from mammals, such as dairy products or gelatins – including some pharmaceuticals, which affect a small percentage of those with the food allergy.

"I just happened to be in that population," he said.

The only treatment for AGS is to avoid consuming red meat and other mammal-derived products, the CDC states. Further data and research are also required to understand the full impact of the condition.

Most reported cases of AGS in the U.S. occur in the South, East and Central states. These are the areas where most lone star ticks are found, according to the nation’s top medical doctors. In other countries, other tick species have been linked to AGS.

"You can live with it," McCornack said. "You just have to do a lot more self-advocacy after a diagnosis."

Kansas State University is actively supporting efforts to cultivate awareness and resilience against AGS. Visit hentomology.ksu.edu/ags with questions about AGS advocacy and other AGS resources.

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