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 tragic incident involving a teenager’s untimely death has been linked to a rare red meat allergy triggered by tick bites, marking one of the first such cases documented worldwide.
Coroner Carmel Forbes has issued a warning about the potential for similar fatalities across several states as she delivered her findings on the 2022 passing of 16-year-old Jeremy Webb during a camping trip.
The investigation revealed that Jeremy’s death stemmed from a severe asthma attack, which was induced by an anaphylactic reaction to red meat. This reaction was a consequence of a condition known as mammalian meat allergy, which he developed after experiencing multiple tick bites in his childhood.
This allergy made Jeremy ill whenever he consumed red meat. The fatal incident occurred after he ate beef sausages during a camping trip with friends on New South Wales’ Central Coast. Shortly after the meal, he became violently ill, vomiting and subsequently losing consciousness before help could arrive.
Despite the efforts of paramedics, Jeremy could not be revived. The coroner concluded that his death resulted from an acute asthma attack, precipitated by the adverse allergic reaction to the red meat.
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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