Tick-borne meat allergy can affect livestock producers' health and livelihood

NPR reported that alpha-gal syndrome, triggered by lone star tick bites, can cause severe allergic reactions to mammalian products such as red meat and dairy. Some livestock producers say symptoms can also flare after handling cattle or their bodily fluids.

Researcher Matthew Bouldin told NPR that more than 200 farmers from 28 states responded to a survey, with most replies coming from Missouri, Oklahoma and Arkansas. Producers interviewed said the illness can force changes in daily work and, in some cases, push people out of livestock farming.