If one of these tiny creatures bites you…

Congrats on going vegan.

Alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) is an emerging, tick bite–associated allergic condition characterized by a potentially life-threatening immunoglobulin E (IgE)–mediated hypersensitivity to galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose (alpha-gal), an oligosaccharide found in most nonprimate mammalian meat and products derived from these mammals. Specific symptoms and severity of AGS vary among persons, and no treatment or cure is currently available. During 2010–2018, more than 34,000 suspected cases of AGS were identified in the United States, but current knowledge of where cases occur is limited.

Citation: Thompson JM, Carpenter A, Kersh GJ, Wachs T, Commins SP, Salzer JS. Geographic Distribution of Suspected Alpha-gal Syndrome Cases — United States, January 2017–December 2022. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2023;72:815–820. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7230a2.

At least these things are mostly in the eastern portion of Oklahoma.

Fact sheet – https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/alpha-gal/resources/alpha-gal-syndrome-factsheet.html

Update

In 2020, two people tested positive for alpha-gal at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, hospital spokesperson Gregory Mathis said. In 2024, that number rose to 523. Results for this year aren’t available yet. Why more people on Martha’s Vineyard are turning vegan – https://www.capecodtimes.com/story/news/healthcare/2025/09/04/ticks-marthas-vineyard-ma-vegan-alpha-gal-lone-star-red-meat-allergy/85944313007/

Yikes.