Martha’s Vineyard has been forced to go vegan due to an explosion of tick-borne illnesses this summer.
The island, which sits off the coast of Massachusetts and serves as a getaway for celebrities and wealthy New Englanders, is known not only for its picturesque beaches but also its fresh seafood, meat and soft cheeses.
However, these upscale staples have been ousted from menus at the island’s busiest restaurants as a tick-borne disease that makes people allergic to animal products surges on the island.
The lone star tick, or Amblyomma americanum, is an aggressive tick found in the Northeast, South and Midwest, distinguished by a signature white ‘lone star’ on its back.
Just one bite from it can cause people to become deathly allergic to meat and dairy, a condition called alpha-gal syndrome.
When a person eats these foods, the body detects alpha-gal molecules in them and attacks, leading to a life-threatening immune response.
Cases of alpha-gal syndrome are ‘skyrocketing,’ experts have warned, with data from Martha’s Vineyard Hospital showing 532 out of 1,254 tests, or 42 percent, resulting positive for the condition last year.
This is a stark difference from just five years ago, when two out of nine total tests – 22 percent – were positive.
Iconic tourist destination Martha’s Vineyard is grappling with an increase in the tick-borne illness alpha-gal syndrome (stock image)
Alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) is triggered when a person is bitten by a tick – most commonly the lone star tick (pictured above) – that carries the alpha-gal sugar
Dr Ed Caldwell, an ear, nose and throat doctor and allergist on Martha’s Vineyard, told DailyMail.com: ‘I have it, my sister has it and I see on average three to four patients a day with it, which has rapidly increased from about one a week a couple of years ago.
‘Martha’s Vineyard has always been an epicenter for tick-related diseases but now has become an epicenter for alpha-gal sensitivity. This seems to be directly related to the expansion of the Lone Star tick here.
‘The incidence of the number of people who have this allergy is expanding exponentially.’
Alpha-gal syndrome is an allergy to alpha-gal, a molecule naturally produced in the bodies of most mammals except humans, as well as saliva of the lone star tick.
When a tick bites, it transfers alpha-gal into a person’s blood, which sets off an immune reaction.
People with the condition then suffer severe allergic reactions when they eat products made from mammals like red meat and some forms of dairy like milk and cheese.
Dr Maria Knobel, co-founder and medical director of Medical Cert UK, told DailyMail.com: ‘In alpha-gal syndrome, a small amount of mammalian elements can set off a response hours after.’
Typical symptoms of reactions include hives or rashes, nausea or vomiting, stomach pain, heartburn, diarrhea, trouble breathing, low blood pressure, dizziness or fainting and swelling of the lips, throat, tongue or eye lids.
Martha’s Vineyard is famous for seafood, though restaurants have had to add more vegan options to serve people who now have meat and dairy allergies from alpha-gal syndrome (stock image)
Dr Gerry Yukevich, an internist at Martha’s Vineyard Medical, told this website: ‘The rapidity of alpha-gal is astounding.
‘Most often, the reaction comes between three and six hours after the meal, which makes it hard to connect to the that they may have contracted alpha-gal.’
Dr Ed Caldwell, an ear, nose and throat doctor and allergist on Martha’s Vineyard, told DailyMail.com cases of the condition have surged
The CDC identified about 110,000 cases of alpha-gal syndrome from 2010 to 2022, the latest data available, though cases are not strictly tracked. The agency estimates roughly 450,000 Americans may actually be affected.
Martha’s Vineyard is already a hotspots for deer ticks, which spread Lyme disease, but one-eighth inch long lone star ticks can live in more areas like beaches and freshly mowed lawns, given them a wider reach.
And because alpha-gal is naturally found in lone star tick saliva, a bite from all stages of the tick life cycle pose a risk. Lyme disease, on the other hand, only spreads from deer ticks to humans after a tick has had its first blood meal from an infected host.
Carla Cooper, an ecologist on Martha’s Vineyard, learned she had contracted alpha-gal syndrome in the summer of 2023 when she ate a hamburger and ice cream from a local restaurant and suddenly couldn’t breathe.
The shortness of breath persisted for weeks after. She told Martha’s Vineyard Magazine: ‘I couldn’t walk to the end of my driveway.’
Jannette Vanderhoop also developed an alpha-gal syndrome reaction from a hamburger. She told Martha’s Vineyard Magazine that she can still have dairy, but Cooper has had to swear off both dairy and red meat.
The above map shows where alpha-gal syndrome cases have been reported in the US between 2017 and 2022
Vanderhoop, who cut out red meat and pork, said: ‘My diet is definitely different. I’m so sick of chicken and turkey.’
Restaurant owners on the island also have to be hypervigilant, Johnny Graham, founder of Revel Catering & Events, told DailyMail.com.
Graham said: ‘Running a busy catering company on Martha’s Vineyard, we have seen a drastic upturn in requests for alpha-gal friendly menus in all departments, especially over the last two years.
‘Cocktail parties, weddings, platter service, dinner parties, everything.
‘We are in the midst of rewriting the entire library of menu items in our software database to acknowledge alpha-gal friendly items right alongside other dietary restrictions such as peanuts, gluten intolerance, dairy free, vegan, etc.’
The condition can even make grocery shopping in general more difficult.
Dr Knobel told this website: ‘Food manufacturers occasionally alter a recipe without notice and I have found vegetable soup mixes that suddenly contained beef extract.
‘This may put an individual in great danger when he/she orders a dish he/she has already consumed before and has confidence that it has not been contaminated.’
She urges restaurants to keep a running list of all ingredients used by all food suppliers and review it monthly to see if anything additional that is meat or dairy-based has been added, similar to measures Graham has put in place.
Dr Yukevich told this website: ‘One of our main efforts now is to educate the public on how prevalent this problem is and how they should take precautions in avoiding tick bites and get medical attention immediately if they detect a sensitivity to meat or dairy products in their diet.’
