The first case in Australia! Just one bite of beef sausage and you died! Thousands of Australians contracted strange diseases: fever, hallucinations, convulsions…

#01：

Australian teenager contracts strange disease

One bite of sausage and you die.

Australians have always loved barbecue sausages and restaurant steaks, but in fact many people cannot eat them casually.

The latest investigation shows that a 16-year-old teenager ended up paying the price with his life for eating just one bite of beef sausage, and the truth goes back more than ten years.

Image source: news.com.au

When the incident occurred in June 2022, 16-year-old Jeremy Webb was camping with friends at MacMasters Beach on the Central Coast of New South Wales.

However, an accident suddenly struck him. He began to have difficulty breathing after eating beef sausages. Despite the efforts of his companions to save him, his condition continued to deteriorate and he eventually died in the hospital.

After years of investigation into this seemingly ordinary camping accident, shocking medical truths were revealed.

Image source: news.com.au

At the time, his death was blamed on asthma.

However, the investigation results released recently finally restored the truth. The direct cause of death of 16-year-old Jeremy was anaphylactic shock caused by an allergy to mammalian meat, and the fundamental trigger could be traced back to a tick bite experience many years ago.

This rare allergy, known as alpha-galactose syndrome, caused an acute exacerbation of his asthma and eventually status asthmaticus.

Jeremy’s mother Myfanwy Webb recalled that her son had suffered repeated tick bites since he was two years old while camping in the Central Coast bush.

“When I first suspected a mammalian meat allergy, I did investigate it, but the information was so limited at the time that I viewed it as a food intolerance rather than an allergy that could lead to fatal anaphylactic shock.”

Image source: news.com.au

Starting around age 10, Jeremy showed symptoms of a mammalian meat allergy, including nausea and shortness of breath after eating red meat.

Investigation documents show that the teenager also has a history of asthma and was hospitalized for acute asthma attacks and suspected allergic reactions in 2019 and 2021.

During an emergency call in 2021, the ambulance staff noticed the connection between tick bites and red meat allergy and injected him with epinephrine. However, when he was discharged from the hospital, everyone did not fully realize the potential seriousness of his condition.

Clinical immunologist Sheryl van Nunen diagnosed Jeremy with the disease after his death and linked his history of tick bites to the fatal reaction.

Outside court, Myfanwy said Jeremy would be “very proud” of today’s findings.

“Jeremy has made a positive impact on the lives of friends, family and strangers throughout his life. He will continue to make a positive difference today, saving lives and benefiting future generations. He changed many lives while he was alive, and he is still changing people’s lives now that he has passed away.”

Image source: news.com.au

#02：

Thousands of Australians have been infected

lifelong effects

But what exactly is alpha-galactose syndrome?

Alpha-galactose syndrome is also known as mammalian meat allergy (MMA). Unlike common food allergies, MMA is “the only food or drug allergy caused by arthropods.” The culprit is the eastern paralysis tick (scientific name Ixodes holocyclus) on the east coast of Australia.

The ticks are widely distributed along the east coast from Cairns to Victoria’s Lakes Entrance, lurking in vegetation waiting for a host.

When a tick bites a human, the alpha-Gal molecules contained in the saliva invade the human body. This molecule is ubiquitous in nature and is particularly high in mammalian red meat such as beef, mutton, and pork.

Under normal circumstances, humans will not have abnormal reactions when exposed to alpha-Gal, but the invasion caused by tick bites can disrupt the immune system of some people, causing them to produce specific antibodies against this molecule, thereby inducing allergies.

It is worth noting that alpha-Gal cannot be broken down by conventional cooking methods, and once sensitized, it will be affected for life.

Once allergies develop, these people will not only be unable to eat their favorite meats, but may even be in danger.

Image source: news.com.au

Research data shows that the spread of MMA in Australia is not optimistic. About 5,000 patients across the country are currently suffering from it, and since 2020, reported cases have surged at a rate of 40% every year.

Figures presented to the court by CSIRO research scientist Alexander Gofton showed three-quarters of cases were concentrated in 20 per cent of geographical areas, with coastal areas of NSW and Queensland most at risk, including Pittwater, inland Richmond Valley and the inland Gold Coast.

However, deaths directly related to MMA are extremely rare globally.

Sheryl van Nunen confirmed,Jeremy’s death is the first recorded death from MMA in Australia and the second in the world.

Image source: Yahoo

#03：

No cure, no vaccine

Only this can be done

Unlike most food allergies that attack within a few minutes, the most troublesome feature of MMA is its delayed reaction. Unlike immediate-onset allergies, patients usually only develop symptoms 4 to 6 hours after eating red meat. This also causes many people to suddenly develop symptoms in the middle of the night while they are asleep, missing early response opportunities.

Allergy symptoms vary in severity. The most common are gastrointestinal discomfort and generalized urticaria. In severe cases, they can affect the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, causing anaphylactic shock, which requires emergency medical treatment.

Some people may also experience symptoms such as fever, rash, and severe joint pain, and some severe patients may even experience hallucinations and convulsions.

What’s even more troubling is that allergies are not limited to red meat: some patients will have reactions when taking drugs containing alpha-Gal, and eating candies containing gelatin may also trigger discomfort, putting daily diet and medical medication in a dilemma.

Image source: Yahoo

Currently, there is no cure, no vaccine available for MMA, and there is no clear means of prevention. The only protective measure is to avoid being bitten by ticks.

Tick ​​Allergy Research and Awareness Australia (TIARA) recommends taking protective measures before entering the bush, such as wearing a long-sleeved shirt tucked into trousers and pulling up your socks.

If you are bitten by a tick, be sure not to use tweezers or special tools to forcefully remove it, because squeezing may cause tick saliva to enter the human body, increasing the risk of inducing allergies.

The best treatment is to use a freeze spray to cause the tick to fall off on its own, but if that fails, TIARA recommends seeking medical attention or going to your local emergency department.

Based on this case, the coroner also recommended that the Central Coast Local Health District update its allergy education program and hospital protocols to include MMA as a potential cause of anaphylactic shock, emphasizing the importance of atypical clinical manifestations and detailed dietary history investigations to prevent similar tragedies from happening again.