A teenager's death was caused by a tick-induced red meat allergy, a coroner has found, in one of the first cases of its kind globally.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Coroner Carmel Forbes warned of a risk of more deaths in multiple states as she handed down findings into the 2022 camping death of 16-year-old Jeremy Webb.
Jeremy's death was attributed to a severe asthma attack caused by an anaphylactic reaction to red meat he picked up after being repeatedly bitten by ticks as a child.
As a result of the bites he developed a condition known as mammalian meat allergy, meaning he became sick after eating red meat.
After eating a dinner of beef sausages while camping with friends on the NSW Central Coast, Jeremy vomited and then passed out before paramedics arrived.
He could not be revived and Deputy State Coroner Carmel 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, Ms 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," Ms 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," Ms Forbes' findings state.
The 16-year-old was remembered by his family as "intelligent, independent, disciplined, determined with a strong moral code".
Ms Forbes recommended the local health district update its allergy training for doctors to include the telltale signs of mammalian meat allergy.
Australian Associated Press
