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In brief
- Jeremy Webb was repeatedly bitten by ticks as a child, and developed a condition called mammalian meat allergy.
- His 2022 death predates the first documented fatal case of tick-induced mammalian meat allergy in 2024.
A coroner has determined that a teenager’s death was caused by an allergy to red meat triggered by tick bites, marking one of the first known cases of its kind worldwide.
Coroner Carmel Forbes has cautioned that similar fatalities could occur in other states as she delivered her findings on the 2022 death of 16-year-old Jeremy Webb, who passed away while on a camping trip.
The investigation revealed that Jeremy succumbed to a severe asthma attack, which was a result of an anaphylactic reaction to red meat. This reaction stemmed from a condition he developed called mammalian meat allergy, caused by multiple tick bites during his childhood.
This rare allergy left him vulnerable to illness whenever he consumed red meat. On the day of his passing, Jeremy had eaten beef sausages while camping with friends on the New South Wales Central Coast.
Following the meal, Jeremy began to vomit and lost consciousness before emergency medical services could reach him.
He could not be revived and Forbes found his death was caused by an acute asthma attack triggered by the allergic reaction.
His death predates the first documented fatal case of tick-induced mammalian meat allergy — that of a New Jersey pilot in 2024, described in a peer-reviewed article published in December.
The teen’s death from the condition is the first of its kind in Australia, allergy expert Sheryl van Nunen told the ABC.
While deaths from the allergy are rare, Forbes warned more may be possible without better awareness of the condition among doctors.
“Australia’s eastern seaboard has the highest rate of (mammalian meat allergy) in the world,” Forbes’ findings state.
Ticks can be commonly found from north Queensland to northern Victoria, the CSIRO says.
Evidence in the findings shows cases of the allergy have risen 40 per cent in Australia since 2020.
Jeremy ended up in hospital with asthma and anaphylaxis caused by the allergy a year before he died but was not referred to a specialist for further treatment.
“Jeremy, his family and his GP were unaware that his red meat allergy may have carried an attendant risk of life-threatening anaphylaxis,” Forbes’ findings state.
The 16-year-old was remembered by his family as “intelligent, independent, disciplined, determined with a strong moral code”.
Forbes recommended the local health district update its allergy training for doctors to include the telltale signs of mammalian meat allergy.
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