(NYT) – The incidence of alpha-gal syndrome appears to be growing significantly. Patients who are bitten can develop a severe allergy to red meat, and a few have died.

Once regarded as a rarity, the disease, which involves an allergy to red meat that develops after a tick bite, has emerged as a significant health menace, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimating that as many as 450,000 people nationwide may have had it in the past 15 years. And that is probably an undercount, said Dr. Scott Commins, who helped solve the mystery of alpha-gal syndrome about two decades ago. (Read More)