If you consider yourself to be a carnivore, the West Virginia Department of Health has given you yet another reason to be vigilant about avoiding ticks. Earlier this month, the agency reported multiple cases of the tick-borne Alpha-gal Syndrome, which can cause a variety of symptoms as a result of allergies to meat and meat products caused by the disease.

This one is carried by lone star ticks — larger than deer ticks and with white spots on their backs. Worry over the disease is severe enough that the state health department issued an advisory Sept. 11, making AGS a reportable condition in the Mountain State.

“Healthcare providers and laboratories are required to report cases of AGS to the West Virginia Department of Health,” the advisory said. “Since implementation, 14 confirmed cases have been reported with several others under investigation.”

Though AGS is not yet a reportable condition in Ohio, it is listed by the Ohio Department of Health as one of the conditions that is known to be caused by tick bites there — and the department’s site notes late fall can be another active time for ticks.

Though the West Virginia health department says the condition is often underdiagnosed because the meat allergy can be mild, it can also be life-threatening. Triggers such as beef, pork, venison, rabbit, dairy, gelatin, meat-based broths and even the capsule coating on some pharmaceuticals can trigger nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, heartburn, indigestion; hives, itching; swelling of the lips, tongue, throat and/or face; coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath; acute hypotension and anaphylaxis.

Sounds delightful, doesn’t it?

Recommendations from the West Virginia health department include that we avoid wooded/brushy areas with tall grass and leaf litter; use 0.5% permethrin-treated clothing or EPA-registered repellents (e.g., DEET); perform tick checks on self, children, and pets after outdoor activity; shower within 2 hours of being outdoors and tumble dry clothing on high heat, and keep pets on veterinarian-recommended tick prevention.

These little creatures have given us reason enough to be cautious about them already, but AGS gives us one more reason to be wary. Don’t let down your guard.