“Alpha Gal Syndrome”
New Allergy: Anyone bitten by the Lone Star Tick can no longer eat red meat
When ticks, like the solitary tick pictured here, attack mammals like mice, rabbits, or deer, they take up alpha-gal sugars, which can then lead to an allergic reaction if they bite a human
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A bite from a lone star tick could trigger a lifelong red meat allergy.
A bite from a so-called single star tick, which is easily identified by the white spot on its back, can result in a lifelong meat allergy, the Washington Post reports.
The lone star tick originated in the southern United States, but has since spread north and west. With an increasingly warm climate, more ticks survive the winter months, which also increases their range.
Unlike the black-legged (deer) tick, the solitary star tick does not transmit the dreaded Lyme disease, but it can cause a severe food allergy in humans known as alpha gal syndrome, an allergy to red meat.
Violent reactions from raw meat after tick bite
When lone star ticks infest mammals such as mice, rabbits, or deer, they ingest alpha-gal sugars. If the animals subsequently bite and feast on humans, they inject the alpha-gal sugar into the human host with their saliva.
Because humans don’t have alpha-gal in their bodies, the human immune system recognizes it as a foreign substance and triggers a reaction, including the development of antibodies. For example, the bite site often swells and itches.
Red meat can then trigger additional reactions. If red meat is eaten by people who have been bitten by the solitary tick, the immune system recognizes the alpha-gal contained in the meat as a foreign substance. As a result, the body often reacts much more violently than the initial mere reaction to the tick bite.
Alpha-gal allergy to red meat can cause skin rash, hives, itching, swelling, shortness of breath, headache, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and vomiting. In severe cases, a person can even experience anaphylaxis, a potentially fatal allergic reaction.
Evidence only since 2009
Just a few years ago, it was the conventional wisdom that allergies can only be triggered by proteins. “It was only shown in 2009 that sugar also triggers allergies. The anaphylactic reaction to the sugar galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose is the cause of the acquired meat allergy,” summarizes Prof. Franz Allerberger, Head of the Public Health Business Unit AGES (Agency for Health and Food Safety) in the Austrian medical newspaper.
Initially, the Alpha Gal Syndrome was therefore difficult to diagnose, since the allergic reaction usually only occurs many hours after eating meat. Also, fortunately, not all single star tick bites produce Alpha Gal Syndrome. The female solitary solitary star tick has a white patch on her back – but the male does not – which further complicates accurate identification of the tick species. Anyone who may be affected should seek medical help as soon as possible.
Sources: “Washington Post”, “Doctor’s Newspaper”