Tick-Borne Meat Allergy Raises Blood Transfusion Reaction Risk

FRIDAY, Sept. 18, 2026 (HealthDay News) — A meat allergy caused by tick bites could make it tougher for patients to safely receive blood transfusions, a new study says.

Alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) might cause people with “universal” type O blood to suffer an allergic reaction after receiving transfusions from type B or type AB donors, researchers recently reported in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Such allergic reactions occur nearly four times more often in U.S. areas where alpha-gal syndrome is most common, researchers found.