At the hospital, doctors noted that Jeremy had a suspected meat allergy, but ultimately blamed the episode on his asthma, which he'd had since he was a toddler. But in February, after an inquest pushed for by his family, a coroner ruled that the asthma attack and resulting fatal anaphylaxis was triggered by tick-induced mammalian meat allergy (MMA). His death is the first in the world known to have been caused by MMA, also known as alpha-gal syndrome. Diagnosed cases of MMA have steadily escalated since 2007, when an Australian doctor first discovered the allergy was linked to tick bites. Now, scientists and campaigners are warning that the condition, though easily prevented, can be unexpectedly triggered - and could pose a deadly threat.