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A self proclaimed meat lover, I think I would rather get Lyme disease and die than have to go through an entire summer of not being able to eat a huge juicy grilled to perfection steak

Before you go calling me an idiot… unlike other tick bites, which can spread diseases like Lyme disease, a lone star tick bite can actually make you allergic to red meat.

A single bite from a lone star tick can significantly raise antibodies to alpha-gal, a sugar carbohydrate found in beef, pork and lamb, and the elevated antibodies cause a meat allergy. This alpha-gal allergy is only found in people bitten by the lone star tick, though researchers are uncertain what in the bite is triggering the response.
Symptoms can include hives, vomiting, asthma, headache, and in extreme cases, anaphylactic shock, leading to death. Stanley Fineman, an allergist and president of American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) says, “It takes 4-to-6 hours to see a reaction, so many people don’t correlate that to their meat, or hamburger or something. It’s easy to miss.”

American BBQ lovers and carnivores all over the world, DO NOT REST EASY!

[Cheers io9]