Experts say that this year's tick season is shaping up to be possibly the worst in recent memory. Beyond Lyme disease and other tick-borne ailments, a new threat is emerging from ticks whose bites can prompt an allergy to red meat.
Can a tick bite make you allergic to red meat?
Tick bites can cause a long list of problems, and now there is evidence that a tick bite could be the trigger for an allergy to red meat, according to Dr. Scott Commins, Associate Professor of Medicine in the Department of Allergy & Immunology at the University of North Carolina.
A woman from Maryland had a horrible reaction while eating an Italian-style pork sausage last year, and her symptoms were all linked back to a tick bite she got three weeks earlier, while walking her dog.
What is the association between ticks and red meat?
In susceptible individuals, multiple tick bites appear to result in sensitization to alpha-gal, a substance present in red meat, which then causes an allergic reaction, according to Dr. Commins.
“Over 90% of patients who develop red meat allergy due to alpha-gal report tick bites," he told ABC News. "Many recall a specific bite that had a ‘bad reaction’ or ‘was slow to heal’ or ‘itched for weeks.'"
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This is legit! Ruined burgers and steak for me for over a year but it went away eventually. Thank God!
ReplyDeleteSame. For about a year as well. Thank god for chicken. And fish.
ReplyDeleteyep, i know 2 people that are/were affected
ReplyDeleteI know a fellow bite by a lone star tick, can no longer eat red meat.
ReplyDeleteMy son has had it for over 20 years, he can not eat any meat that comes from a mammal. He has been in the ER numerous times with an allergic reaction. The Doctors only diagnosed about five years ago. They told him it was carried by a Lone Star tick.
ReplyDeleteMy son has had it for over 20 years, he can not eat any meat that comes from a mammal. He has been in the ER numerous times with an allergic reaction. The Doctors only diagnosed about five years ago. They told him it was carried by a Lone Star tick.
ReplyDelete