People with a rare red meat allergy may have a higher risk of heart disease, a new study suggests. The lone star tick's saliva may contain alpha-gal, said lead study author Dr. Jeff Wilson, an allergy research fellow at the UVA Health System. So, when the tick bites a person, it exposes the individual to the alpha-gal and may trigger an immune response in the body. Then, when that person eats red meat and some dairy products, the body responds by producing antibodies to alpha-gal, Wilson said.