澳大利亚一名15岁少年Jeremy Webb于2022年6月进食牛肉香肠后身亡，经确认死因为蜱虫引发的哺乳动物肉类过敏（MMA）导致的过敏性休克，这成为全球首例因该病症致死的案例 [1]。
该过敏症由蜱虫唾液中的alpha-gal分子触发 [1]。研究人员Sheryl van Nunen教授在近20年前于澳大利亚东海岸首次发现蜱虫叮咬与这种过敏之间的关联 [1]。患者症状包括皮疹、呕吐及可能危及生命的过敏性休克，但这种病症常被误诊为哮喘 [1]。
数据显示问题日益严重。自2020年以来，澳大利亚MMA病例每年增加22%，目前估计有超过5,000名疑似患者 [1]。医学研究表明，94.8%的食物过敏死亡案例是因为过敏反应引发哮喘，导致呼吸骤停 [1]。
专家建议采取多项预防措施来降低感染风险。在灌木丛中活动时应穿着长袖长裤，同时使用含DEET或picaridin成分的驱虫剂 [1]。若被蜱虫叮咬，切勿挤压，而应使用喷雾杀死后让其自行脱落 [1]。
A fifteen-year-old Australian boy, Jeremy Webb, has become the first confirmed fatality from mammalian meat allergy (MMA) caused by tick bites [1]. Webb died in June 2022 after consuming beef sausages, with his death attributed to anaphylactic shock triggered by the tick-borne condition [1].
The allergy develops when a tick injects alpha-gal molecules from its saliva into a person's bloodstream [1]. Professor Sheryl van Nunen, who identified the connection between tick bites and the condition nearly two decades ago on Australia's east coast, has been studying the disease since its discovery [1]. Symptoms of MMA include rashes, vomiting, and potentially fatal anaphylactic shock, and the condition is frequently misdiagnosed as asthma [1].
The incidence of confirmed cases has risen sharply, with MMA diagnoses in Australia increasing by 22 percent annually since 2020, and an estimated 5,000 or more suspected cases reported [1]. Research shows that 94.8 percent of food allergy deaths result when allergic reactions trigger asthma, leading to respiratory arrest [1].
To reduce infection risk, health officials recommend wearing long sleeves and long pants in brushy areas, using insect repellents containing DEET or picaridin, and taking care not to squeeze ticks when bitten but instead spraying them to allow natural removal [1].