Arkansas tops the list of states for the number of residents with antibodies present in their blood for Alpha-gal Syndrome (AGS). The disease is a potentially life-threatening condition usually caused by a bite from a lone star tick and often referred to as the “red meat allergy.” AGS makes a person allergic to “mammalian” meat, including pork, beef and lamb, for example, and certain dairy products.
Researchers at the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) examined 3,000 blood donor samples collected from 10 states during their study. The scientists discovered a much higher concentration in half those states, in which nearly 1-in-4 people tested positive for AGS antibodies present in their blood samples. Arkansas ranked the highest at 31%.
The CDC scientists were quick to point out that the presence of antibodies does not, in itself, mean a person has AGS. However, in the case of Arkansas, the state also does indeed lead the country, with 3,782 reports of AGS in 2025, resulting in 3,309 suspected cases, according to the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH).
As Little Rock Public Radio reports, infectious disease specialist and researcher, Eleanor Saunders, with the Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases, says an estimated 450,000 U.S. adults in the country have this allergy. “If somebody were to send this antibody test, you know, all-comer adults, a quarter would test positive. But, only a small minority of those have allergies.”
As Saunders continued, “So we don’t want for people to, to be inappropriately diagnosed, over-diagnosed. So we want to alert health care providers, ‘please only test patients with symptoms of allergies.'”
The CDC just published those findings in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report of July 2.
AGS is an allergy to the sugar molecule, Galactose-alpha-1, 3-galactose (alpha-gal), that is found in all non-primate mammals, and hence, where the syndrome derived its curious name. Typical symptoms for AGS include stomach cramps, nausea, diarrhea, heartburn, vomiting, rash, facial swelling, coughing, or shortness of breath.
AGS differs from other allergies in that symptoms are usually delayed and may occur 2 to 10 hours after exposure to alpha-gal.
Managing AGS is typically done by avoiding foods that contain alpha-gal or with allergy medications. Some AGS patients may be given an epi-pen in case of severe allergic reactions. Arkansas was the first state to make AGS reportable in September of 2023.
Cases are determined using the CSTE case definition and a confirmed case requires both a positive lab result and clinical evidence.
After Arkansas at 31%, the four other states with high concentrations of their population having AGS antibodies include Missouri at 26%, followed by Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee. Each came in above 21%.
