A red meat allergy caused by the bite of a Lone Star tick has changed the life of a Northwest Missouri woman. Helen Foster, the wife of a farmer in rural Grant City, was bitten in May of last year. If she eats red meat she breaks out in hives. In a serious reaction, which she has so far avoided, her airway could close.

Not only is red meat off her menu, she can’t even smell it cooking without an allergic reaction. She had to get rid of her old pots and pans, and her husband, who still eats red meat some days, has to use a separate set of dishes and silverware. She says the allergic reaction to red meat should gradually diminish over several years. But if she ever gets bit again by a similar Lone Star tick, she would probably have it for life.