A tick bite can trigger a rare allergy to red meat and animal products, forcing major lifestyle changes. Scientist Lee Haines joins host Rachel Feltman to break down what causes alpha-gal syndrome, why it’s spreading and how to spot the signs.

Recommended Reading
<a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/red-meat-allergy-caused-by-tick-bite-is-spreading-and-nearly-half-of-doctors-dont-know-about-it/">Red Meat Allergy Caused by Tick Bite Is Spreading—And Nearly Half of Doctors Don’t Know about It</a>
<a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/this-tick-can-make-you-allergic-to-meat-and-it-rsquo-s-spreading/">This Tick Can Make You Allergic to Meat, and It’s Spreading</a>
<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-red-meat-allergy-from-tick-bites-is-spreading-and-the-lone-star-tick-isnt-the-only-alpha-gal-carrier-to-worry-about-262428">“A Red Meat Allergy from Tick Bites Is Spreading—And the Lone Star Tick Isn’t the Only Alpha-Gal Carrier to Worry About,” by Lee Rafuse Haines, in the Conversation. Published online August 5, 2025</a>
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lee-rafuse-haines-2293897">Haines’s profile</a> at the Conversation
<a href="https://news.nd.edu/our-experts/lee-r-haines/">Haines’s profile at the University of Notre Dame’s Office of Media Relations</a>

E-mail us at <a href="mailto:sciencequickly@sciam.com">sciencequickly@sciam.com</a> if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover!
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Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Kelso Harper and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura. Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck fact-check the show. The theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>

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