Fresh Air

The “bullies of the tick world” are on the hunt

July 1, 2026·45 min·6-min readnarrativescience
Podzilla Summary (6 min)
TLDR
The Lone Star tick, once confined to the southeastern U.S., is now spreading rapidly across the country, carrying alpha-gal syndrome—a potentially life-threatening allergy to red meat and other mammalian products. This emerging public health crisis, poorly understood and often misdiagnose

Sign up to read the full summary

Free AI-powered recaps of every episode, delivered to your inbox.

Get Free Summaries →

Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.

Guest

B

Burkhard Bilger

narrative on Fresh Air

Mentions

Books, people, and resources mentioned in this episode.

People

Burkhard BilgerTerry GrossThomas Platts-MillsJeffrey WilsonHolly GaffPatrick Roden Reynolds

Companies

Insect Shield

Products & Tools

EpiPenZylaire

Topics

Climate ChangeLong Form JournalismTrue Crime

Listen to This Episode

Get summaries like this every morning.

Free AI-powered recaps of Fresh Air and your other favorite podcasts, delivered to your inbox.

Get Free Summaries →

Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.