Lone Star Tick News and Research

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Martha's Vineyard Hospital launches study to better understand alpha-gal syndrome

Martha's Vineyard Hospital, a member of Mass General Brigham, has begun recruiting participants for a research study designed to better understand alpha-gal syndrome (AGS), a potentially serious allergic condition associated with lone star tick exposure.

25 Aug 2026

Identifying the methodology gap that prevents treatment of infection-triggered chronic diseases

Thousands of Americans develop chronic persistent symptoms-such as fatigue, cognitive difficulties ("brain fog"), and other debilitating issues-each year following acute infections from Lyme disease, COVID-19, and other pathogens. Efforts to identify causes and produce treatments have failed. However, 16 leading researchers think they know part of the problem: study design.

14 May 2026

Ticks can survive for up to three weeks inside homes

It's fairly common for members of the public to ask bug experts if ticks that hitchhike into a house on people or dogs can actually survive indoors for any length of time.

27 Mar 2026

Mizzou tackles rising alpha-gal syndrome cases with research and outreach

The University of Missouri is on the front lines of helping patients with alpha-gal syndrome - a potentially life-threatening red-meat allergy caused by lone star tick bites.

24 Feb 2026

Cultured beef shows mixed allergy risks in early food safety study

As cultured meat moves toward commercialization, people want to understand how it impacts health compared to conventional animal meat.

18 Feb 2026

Researchers confirm first death linked to tick-induced meat allergy

University of Virginia School of Medicine researchers have identified the first death caused by what is commonly called the "meat allergy" being spread by ticks.

13 Nov 2025

Social media spreads both awareness and misinformation about allergies and asthma

From rare tick-borne meat allergy to everyday asthma, millions of people turn to social media for health advice.

6 Nov 2025

Study maps distribution of disease-carrying ticks across Illinois

Scientists analyzed the distribution of three potentially harmful tick species in Illinois, identifying regions of the state with higher numbers of these ticks and, therefore, at greater risk of infection with multiple tick-borne diseases.

22 Sep 2025

CDC confirms black-legged ticks can cause red meat allergy in humans

Researchers confirmed that black-legged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) can trigger alpha-gal syndrome in humans. A 10-year surveillance in Maine identified 23 confirmed cases of the meat allergy outside the lone star tick’s known range.

23 Mar 2025

Nanoparticles offer new hope for treating red meat allergies linked to tick bites

Nanoparticles delivered intravenously in mice can block the allergic reactions to red meat caused by the bite of the lone star tick, new research led by the University of Michigan shows.

13 Aug 2024

Food allergies may be linked to increased cardiovascular death risk, study finds

Sensitivity to common food allergens such as dairy and peanuts could be an important and previously unappreciated cause of heart disease, new research suggests – and the increased risk for cardiovascular death includes people without obvious food allergies.

13 Nov 2023

The evolving emergence of alpha-gal syndrome in the United States

Researchers investigated alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) prevalence and geographic distribution.

2 Aug 2023

Exploring how Bourbon virus-carrying ticks travel through wildlife and to people

On a cold spring morning, Washington University in St. Louis virologist Jacco Boon, PhD, and wildlife ecologist Solny Adalsteinsson, PhD, flap and drag a large white flag through a woodsy area on the western edge of St. Louis County. Boon, an associate professor of medicine in infectious diseases at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and Adalsteinsson, a senior scientist at the university's Tyson Research Center, are looking for lone star ticks that carry the potentially deadly Bourbon virus.

14 Jun 2023

Active transmission of Bourbon virus in New York

A recent study published in Emerging Infectious Diseases reported on the bourbon virus (BRBV) transmission in New York.

20 Dec 2022

Texas A&M AgriLife scientists receive grant to fight pesticide-resistant cattle fever ticks

Two projects by Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists aim to protect the U.S. cattle industry from the emerging threat of pesticide-resistant cattle fever ticks.

21 Apr 2022

FDA approves first IGA in GalSafe pigs for human food, promising therapeutic uses

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a first-of-its-kind intentional genomic alteration (IGA) in a line of domestic pigs, referred to as GalSafe pigs, which may be used for food or human therapeutics.

15 Dec 2020

Researchers confirm the presence of Heartland virus in Lone Star ticks in Illinois

Researchers have confirmed that Heartland virus, an emerging pathogen with potentially dire consequences for those infected, is present in Lone Star ticks in two Illinois counties hundreds of miles apart.

24 Jul 2020

Ticks now carrying multiple diseases, says new study

A new study published in the journal mBio reports that ticks carry many more disease-causing agents than just those responsible for causing Lyme disease.

17 Sep 2019

Meat allergy triggered by tick bites explained

Researchers from University of Virginia School of Medicine have uncovered the mystery behind development of allergic reactions to red meat such as beef in some individuals. Recently there has been a body of research on allergies to meat developing in individuals due to tick bites.

21 Aug 2019

Scientists find several shifts in Pennsylvania tick population over the last century

The prevalence of the most abundant species of ticks found in Pennsylvania has shifted over the last century, according to Penn State scientists, who analyzed 117 years' worth of specimens and data submitted primarily by residents from around the state.

3 May 2019