Just across Buzzards Bay, a bug the size of a pencil eraser is wreaking havoc. The lone star tick, once limited to the southern U.S., has crept steadily northward as the climate warms. The tick spreads what’s known as alpha-gal syndrome — a virulent allergy to red meat and dairy.
Lone star ticks, named for the white dot that appears on the backs of adult females, have recently been found in Bristol County and have already overrun Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. Their reign of terror on the Islands has reshaped residents’ relationships to restaurant menus and the outdoors.
Although New England residents have long dealt with Lyme disease, tularemia, and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, the rise of alpha-gal has added a new layer of fear and paranoia that can’t be easily swept away with antibiotics…