A study of blood samples from five states with high rates of alpha-gal syndrome found that 24.0% of adults carried the associated IgE antibodies. Kentucky was among the states included in the analysis, which found the highest estimated rate in Arkansas at 31.2% and a rate of 26.0% in Missouri. The results do not mean that everyone with antibodies has the allergy itself: the researchers cautioned that a positive test must be considered alongside compatible symptoms.
The findings came from 3,000 residual blood-donor samples collected in 10 states from November 2024 through April 2025. The CDC-led study, published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report and summarized by CIDRAP, found substantially lower antibody rates in New Mexico and Washington, where lone star ticks are not known to be established.
Alpha-gal syndrome is an immune reaction to a sugar found in mammals and in some mammal-derived products. Lone star tick bites are associated with many U.S. cases; symptoms can include hives, swelling, breathing problems and gastrointestinal distress after exposure to mammalian meat, dairy products or gelatin. Seafood, poultry, chicken, turkey and eggs are not affected in the same way, according to the CDC study summary.
The condition can be difficult to recognize. A survey cited by HCPLive found that 42% of surveyed U.S. health-care providers had never heard of alpha-gal syndrome, while another 35% said they lacked confidence in diagnosing or managing it. A 2023 government estimate placed the number of U.S. patients at about 100,000, although experts have said the actual total could be closer to 500,000.
A farm responds to a restricted diet
Kentucky exposure and inspection context
According to University of Kentucky Extension, lone star ticks in Kentucky are active from March through September. That seasonal window provides local context for exposure risk in a state included in the antibody study. For meat sold to Kentucky consumers, University of Kentucky Extension says Kentucky is not among the 27 states with established state meat-and-poultry inspection programs for products produced and sold within their jurisdictions. That information identifies Kentucky's status but does not, by itself, establish the inspection or labeling requirements for a particular ostrich product.
That public-health problem has also created demand for meat from animals that do not produce the mammalian sugar. Brent Williams, a nutritionist from Danville, Kentucky, was diagnosed with alpha-gal syndrome seven years ago after becoming ill following a steak sandwich in 2017. The Associated Press reported on his diagnosis and subsequent work with Alpha Roost Farms in an account republished by KSL.com.
According to the AP account, Williams avoids meat from mammals, grill fumes and gelatin and later became a partner at Alpha Roost Farms. The farm had more than 400 ostriches and planned to increase the herd to about 700 by 2027. Farm owner W.D. King told the AP that interest from people with alpha-gal syndrome was contributing to demand.
Ostrich is classified as poultry, but its dark meat is often compared with beef in appearance and flavor. The Alpha-Gal Association recommends it as a possible beef-like substitute. The AP reported that ground ostrich could cost more than $20 per pound and some choice cuts more than $40; Leah Gibbs of Dry Branch Farm Market in Danville told the AP that customers traveled from elsewhere in Kentucky to buy cuts supplied by Alpha Roost Farms.
Supply remains limited
The market remains constrained by the small number of large U.S. ostrich operations. Michael Lehman, vice president of the American Ostrich Association, estimated to the AP that roughly 10 to 15 farms with substantial herds operate nationally. The AP also reported that Boyd Clark, an ostrich farmer in Texas, had about 1,200 birds and planned to expand his herd by 50% in 2027.
The industry is smaller than it was during an earlier expansion. USDA census figures cited by The Texas Observer show that the number of U.S. ostrich farms fell from 1,643 in the late 1990s to 258 in 2012. The AP attributed the earlier decline to speculative pricing, oversupply and producers' lack of experience raising the birds.
Alpha Roost's planned growth therefore depends on consumer demand and the time required to raise birds and add facilities. The farm is one example of how a condition associated with tick exposure can influence food choices, but the antibody study also shows why prevalence figures must not be treated as confirmed diagnoses. A positive test alone is not proof that a person has alpha-gal syndrome or should impose broad dietary restrictions.
