An Aussie teen’s swift death after eating a sausage and an American pilot’s after a hamburger could be linked as terrifying reactions triggered by tick bites, with potentially many more hidden victims
The devastated mother of an Australian boy who died on a camping trip has revealed a shocking new theory behind his tragic death that echoes the “sudden unexplained death” of an American pilot – both might have been victims of a deadly allergy triggered by tick bites.
Experts are now calling for “increased awareness” to ensure such “totally unnecessary” deaths won’t happen again. Autopsy results from both tragedies revealed a tick-induced condition that could turn meats such as beef, pork and lamb – and sometimes even gelatine and fats – into an instant death sentence.
Both victims may have put their lives in danger through seemingly harmless “chigger bites”. Jeremy Webb died at 16 after eating beef sausages on a camping trip with three friends at MacMasters Beach in New South Wales in Australia in June 2022.
The friends had cooked the sausages over a campfire but by 11 pm he was struggling to breathe. He collapsed on his way to get help from an adult in a nearby caravan. His friends tried to resuscitate him but he was pronounced dead just an hour-and-a-half later.
Brian Paul Waitzel, a 47-year-old JetBlue pilot from New Jersey, died last year after eating a burger at a barbecue. His son found him four hours later in a pool of vomit and he died that night. Boffins found a clue to his mysterious death when they discovered a steak had earlier left him “writhing in pain”.
Both Jeremy and Brian may have been the first known victim in their countries of alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) or mammalian meat allergy.
The Aussie teen’s mother said her son was repeatedly bitten by ticks from the age of two while camping in bushland. “When I first suspected mammalian meat allergy, I did look into it, but there wasn’t much information back then,” she said. “I sort of saw it as a food intolerance, not an allergy that can kill you from anaphylaxis.”
Brian’s widow told researchers her husband suffered 12 or 13 “chigger” bites around his ankles that left small bumps. Blood tests revealed both victims carried the dangerous allergy.
In the wake of the shocking deaths, experts have called for wider awareness of the condition. “With increased awareness, this won’t happen again,” said Dr Scott Commins, a leading alpha-gal syndrome researcher at the University of North Carolina.
But exposure to the allergy is on the rise. Allergy expert Associate Professor Sheryl van Nunen told the inquest for the Aussie teen that there had been a 40% year-on-year increase in mammalian meat allergy diagnoses in Australia since 2020. People have a 50% risk of developing the allergy after being bitten by just two ticks, he added.
Australian organization Tick Induced Allergies Research and Awareness (TIARA) recommends “dressing for the occasion” before going out into the bush. Travellers should wear a long-sleeved shirt, tucked into full-length pants with socks pulled over the top.
If you get bitten, don’t “pick” the tick out of your skin with tweezers or tick-removal gadgets. You might just squeeze the tick and push its saliva into your body and increase the risk of tick-induced allergies.
The best removal method is to spray a freezing medication and then allow the tick to drop off. If that fails, TIARA advises visiting your local GP or emergency department.
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