A man developed an allergy to meat after being bitten by a tick. Weeks later, he died.

A New Jersey man who died shortly after eating a hamburger is confirmed to be the first known fatality connected to a tick-induced “meat allergy,” according to researchers at the University of Virginia.

The condition, called alpha-gal syndrome, develops when a Lone Star tick bites someone and triggers their body to react to a sugar found in red meat. After that, eating beef, pork or lamb can set off delayed allergic reactions. They range from hives and stomach trouble to, in rare situations, a dangerous collapse of the immune system.

In the 47-year-old man's case, scientists say he got violently ill after a steak dinner but did not yet know he had developed the condition. Two weeks later, he ate a hamburger at a barbecue and was found collapsed in a bathroom less than an hour later.

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