In 2023, the Centers for Disease Control reported that an estimated 450,000 Americans suffered from alpha-gal syndrome or AGS. Numbers may be higher since AGS is not a reportable condition, which means health care providers don’t have to notify public health authorities when it’s diagnosed. Even worse, there is currently no cure.

From barns and backyards to hiking trails and hunting blinds, Americans rethink how they live after a single tick sinks in. Alpha-gal syndrome is a life-altering food allergy triggered by a tick bite, and it’s changing careers and pastimes across the country.

AGS isn’t your typical food allergy. It’s a delayed allergic reaction to a sugar molecule found in mammalian meats, like beef and bacon, and products derived from them. Unlike other food allergies, which often cause immediate symptoms, AGS reactions can take hours to appear.

When your livelihood is on the line

Those who work outdoors face some of the highest risks for tick exposure. Occupations like military service, park management, landscaping and environmental sciences often require extended time in wooded or brush-filled areas where ticks thrive. Additionally, some people with AGS experience allergic reactions simply through contact with mammals.

For farmers like April Garbat Vaughan, co-founder of Sanctuary Farm & Rest House in Warm Springs, Ark., an AGS diagnosis changes how they work. “We’re switching what we raise from pastured pigs to turkeys,” she said. Handling livestock now requires extra protection – long sleeves, masks and post-exposure cleanup.

Rosie Wynne-Meador, a lifelong horse lover in Southern Maryland, can no longer give riding lessons or train horses professionally. While she still owns horses and cares for them with her husband’s help, she says, “I don’t do the things I used to do.”

Vicki Cook, a farmer at 4C Ag Service near Oklahoma City, has also had to change how she engages with the land and her community. She hosts a summer farm camp for elementary-aged kids, but can no longer lead it due to her AGS diagnosis and concerns about additional tick exposure.

At Springhouse Farm in Vilas, N.C., flower and vegetable grower Amy Fiedler said AGS hasn’t stopped her from working, but it’s changed how she approaches it. “I can no longer mow my farm because of how my grass allergies trigger my histamines and then make me more susceptible to an AGS reaction,” she said. Alpha-gal is also why she now has plant-based farm-to-table dinners.

Amy Pardus is the office manager at a water utility company in Kellyville, Okla. She said field workers often track ticks into the building, and one found its way to the middle of her back where it latched on in a conference room during a board meeting. “A month after that, I had my first anaphylactic reaction,” she said.

When you love being outside

It’s not just jobs that take people outdoors. You may be at risk of developing AGS if you enjoy hiking, camping, hunting, birdwatching, trail running, foraging or even gardening in your backyard.

Alyson Lunsford, bitten by a tick in Lincoln, Neb., said her love of hunting has taken a back seat. “I was an avid hunter before my diagnosis, but if I even get the blood from a mammal on me, I have a reaction. I have had to limit my hunting to when I can be sure I will be fully covered or when someone else can be with me.”

Kristal Cress Cottom from Branson, Miss., has given up trail running and hiking after her diagnosis. “My life has been drastically altered,” she said. “I was an avid trail runner and hiker – I’ve done trails all across the States. I became terrified of nature. AGS also made me anaphylactic to wasp venom. I found that out the hard way.”

Tick-borne illnesses are spreading

While researchers originally linked AGS to the lone star tick, found primarily in the Southeastern United States, its geographic reach has grown significantly. Today, entomologists have documented lone star ticks outside their traditional range as far north as Maine and west as Texas.

Additionally, CDC studies suggest that other species, including the blacklegged tick and the western blacklegged tick, also trigger AGS. These species are found across broad regions of the country, increasing the likelihood of exposure to AGS in places previously considered to be unaffected.

Learning to live with alpha-gal syndrome

Being diagnosed with AGS is life-changing. Patients must avoid all mammalian meat and often switch to poultry, fish and plant-based diets. Although she can still work with cattle, Cook can no longer eat the beef they raise and sell. Some, like Vaughan, also react to dairy. “It’s a bummer to be unable to eat the pork we raise or drink milk from my goats,” she said.

Some people with AGS also react to ingredients hidden in medications or personal care products. For Cottom, this means choosing vegan options. “Because my skin is so sensitive, everything has to be vegan. All hygiene, cleaning, room fresheners, candles, toilet paper – crazy, I know – are now vegan.”

AGS also comes with emotional challenges. Cottom shares, “It took me a long time to be able to grocery shop and not just start crying. You crave the foods you love and grieve when you can no longer have them.”

Protect yourself from tick-borne illness

According to tick expert Dr. Thomas Mather, director of the University of Rhode Island’s TickEncounter Resource Center, the best defense is preparation. He promotes three key tactics: tucking pants into socks and shirts into pants to block access points, wearing clothing treated with permethrin, and opting for tight-fitting clothes to reduce the chance of ticks crawling under garments.

Insect repellents with DEET may not be enough to ward off lone star ticks. An infographic published by TickEncounter recommends wearing permethrin-treated shoes and clothing when in a lone star tick country. Once indoors, thorough tick checks are essential – especially under the arms, behind the knees, along the hairline and around the waist.

You don’t have to be deep in the woods

One of the most sobering lessons from the AGS community is that tick bites can happen anywhere. Despite applying bug spray, Judy Wheeler from Canton, Miss., found ticks on herself and her dogs after a walk on a neighborhood trail. She later got another bite while sitting on her own patio around a fire pit. “Never dreamed I was in danger there,” she said. “Since getting alpha-gal, we have our yard sprayed professionally every month, and I thought I was safe on the patio.”

Cottom echoes the same surprise, sharing that the tick that gave her alpha-gal bit her in her bedroom. “I live near the woods. I’m pretty sure the dog or kids brought it inside.”

Awareness makes a big difference

Not everyone has to endure years of mysterious symptoms. Early awareness can lead to faster diagnoses and fewer severe reactions. Ashley Whitmore, a professional photographer, was bitten during an outdoor photo shoot at Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri. “Due to the awareness campaigns in the area, I was aware of the lone star tick causing AGS and the symptoms to look for,” she said. After discovering the tick during a post-shoot check, she saved it in a ziplock bag and sought out testing; that knowledge helped her catch the diagnosis early.

When a tick bite redefines your life

For those living with alpha-gal syndrome, life becomes a careful balancing act of checking ingredients, adjusting routines and rethinking how time is spent outdoors. But it’s also a story of strength and perseverance. Many people with AGS find ways to keep doing what they love, even if it looks a little different than it used to.

Their stories serve as a powerful reminder that awareness matters, not just during peak tick season, but all year long. And prevention is key because a tick bite can happen almost anywhere: deep in the woods, on a neighborhood trail, in your garden or even in your bedroom. Protect yourself and your loved ones today to help avoid life-altering consequences tomorrow.

Living with the culinary challenges of a tick-borne food allergy, Sage Scott creates and shares delicious mammal-free recipes at Sage Alpha Gal. From her Kansas City home, she inspires not only fellow alpha-gal syndrome sufferers but also vegans, vegetarians, pescetarians and flexitarians to enjoy recipes free of beef, pork and other alpha-gal allergy triggers.

(AP)