Alpha-gal syndrome is relatively rare, but those who have it can have a full-on anaphylactic shock
A new tick bite that causes a person to develop an allergy to red meat has come up in the Southwestern and lower Midwest US, with two cases reported this week. According to the authorities, most cases are linked to the lone star tick.
Doctors say ticks bite—releasing a steady stream of saliva that contains chemicals that keep their victim’s blood flowing as they feed. Sometimes, the saliva also contains a sugar molecule known as alpha-gal. Thereafter, an alpha-gal syndrome—a reaction to the molecule that occurs in some people—leads to the red meat allergy.
“Alpha-gal syndrome is relatively rare, but those who have it can have a full-on anaphylactic shock,” Douglas Norris, a professor of molecular microbiology and immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told AP.
More than half a million have alpha-gal syndrome
According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, more than half a million people across the United States have alpha-gal syndrome. “We do believe the lone star tick is still responsible for most of the cases of alpha-gal syndrome in the US,” said Dr. Johanna Salzer, a veterinary medical officer and epidemiologist with the CDC’s Division of Vector-Borne Diseases.
The new case reports, published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, found cases of alpha-gal syndrome in Washington and Maine—in two women who did not travel to areas where the lone star tick typically lives.
According to the report, both women reported being bitten by ticks, which suggests that other species—including Ixodes scapularis, also called black-legged or deer ticks—may also be associated with alpha-gal syndrome. Another related tick, Ixodes pacificus, or the western black-legged tick, was also linked to the Washington case. The CDC’s suspect cases are concentrated highly along Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, Kansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Maryland, North Carolina, and Virginia.
How is the alpha-gal syndrome caused?
According to experts, the alpha-gal syndrome is not caused by a bacterium or virus but is an immune reaction to a sugar found in almost all non-primate animals, including cows, horses, and deer, which can be present in tick saliva.
For some people, being exposed to alpha-gal through a tick bite triggers an immunoglobulin E, or IgE, antibody response in the body. People who mount this response develop an allergy to meat that takes weeks to months to appear.
Signs and symptoms of alpha-gal syndrome
First described in 2009, the alpha-gal syndrome occurs due to bites from ticks that carry alpha-gal in their saliva. Delayed reactions may be because the body takes longer to digest carbohydrates than proteins, which trigger most other food allergies. A few symptoms include:
- Itchy skin
- Flushing
- Hives
- Swelling of your lips, eyelids, throat, tongue or face
- Abdominal pain
- Diarrhoea
- Heartburn and acid reflux
- Muscle cramps
- Nausea and vomiting
- Cough
- Breathlessness
- Wheezing
- Heart palpitations
- Low blood pressure
According to experts, there is no cure for alpha-gal syndrome, but early detection can help you and your doctor develop a management plan specific to your needs.
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