UNMC study tracks farmers living with tick-borne red meat allergy

OMAHA — Farmers and ranchers who develop alpha-gal syndrome, an allergy to red meat spread mainly by tick bites, often go through several doctor visits before they're diagnosed, according to a study by a University of Nebraska Medical Center researcher, UNMC said Wednesday.

Shaun Cross, an assistant professor in UNMC's College of Public Health, surveyed more than 200 people who farm or ranch across 26 states, most of them in Missouri and Oklahoma. UNMC says no earlier peer-reviewed study has focused on this group; it appears in the Journal of Agromedicine. On average, respondents saw a health care provider three times before diagnosis, and some more than 10 times.

People with the syndrome react after eating meat from mammals, such as beef or pork, or using some other mammal products, UNMC said. The release says it spreads mainly through the bite of the lone star tick, whose range has moved north into areas once too cold for it. Cross said some people the team heard from had to add workers, give up livestock or quit farming altogether.

Source: UNMC Newsroom: New study reveals impact of alpha-gal syndrome on farmers, ranchers.

How we checked this: Reported from UNMC's newsroom post "New study reveals impact of alpha-gal syndrome on farmers, ranchers," opened Nov. 11, 2026, at 5:30 a.m. CT, and checked against the record by our copy desk before publishing.