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Our recent warm weather has awakened ticks, and one species in particular is becoming more common in the DC region: the lone star tick. A bite from this tick, which is easily recognizable by the white spot on its back if it is female, can cause a lifelong adverse reaction to eating red meat.
The lone star tick originated in the southern states, but has spread north and west to cover much of the eastern half of the country. In warming climates, more ticks survive the winter months and their range expands.
Unlike the black-footed (deer) tick, the lone star tick does not transmit Lyme disease, but can cause severe food allergies in people known as alpha-gal syndrome. which is allergic to red meat.
How to protect yourself from ticks
When lone star ticks feed on mammals such as mice, rabbits or deer, they ingest alpha-gal sugars. Later, if ticks bite and feed on humans, they inject alpha-gal sugars with their saliva into their human host.
Because humans do not have alpha-gal in their bodies, the human immune system recognizes alpha-gal from a tick bite as a foreign substance and triggers a reaction, including the development of antibodies. Often the bite site becomes swollen and itchy.
But red meat, which contains alpha-gal sugars, can further cause reactions. If red meat is eaten by people bitten by a lone tick, the immune system recognizes alpha-gal from the meat as a foreign substance. As a result, the body gets a reaction, often much more severe than the initial tick bite reaction.
Alpha-gal allergy to red meat can lead to rash, hives, itching, swelling, shortness of breath, headache, abdominal pain, diarrhea and vomiting. In severe cases, a person may experience anaphylaxis, a potentially fatal allergic reaction.
Initially, alpha-gal syndrome was difficult to diagnose because the allergic reaction occurred many hours after ingestion of meat. In addition, allergies to red meat last a lifetime and may worsen over time.
Life with alpha-gal syndrome
Keith Tremel of Edgewater, Md., Is a competitive barbecue chef who cannot eat or taste his smoked beef and pork dishes. He should wear rubber gloves when working with red meat, or he will break out in a rash. He contracted alpha-gal syndrome after being bitten by a star tick five years ago and is severely allergic to most of the meat he cooks.
Tremel recalls a tick bite: “I was bitten on the thigh by a tick while I was sleeping. Wake me up. I took out the tick and immediately saw the white dot. I had recently read an article about the alpha gal and the lone star, so I recognized her immediately. I wouldn’t say the bite was painful, but it woke me up.
Shortly after the tick bite, Tremel ate a hamburger and developed a rash on most of his body. A week later, another hamburger caused the same rash. A third hamburger later led to a similar result, and Tremel went to the doctor for fear of alpha-gal syndrome.
Tremel’s doctor had never heard of alpha gal and looked for it on his laptop while Tremel waited. The diagnosis was indeed an alpha-gal syndrome. “It was not comforting when I realized that I knew more about alpha gal than about a medical professional,” he said in an email.
“Before I was diagnosed, I loved bacon cheeseburgers. My wife and my two children love bacon, and my son loves steak, so cooking that for them can be a bit of a torture. When it comes to barbecue competitions and catering, I’m used to it now, but it was disappointing at first. “
Tremel and his teammates compete in the Kansas City Barbecue Society, cooking chicken, ribs, pork and breasts at each competition. Chicken, he said, is the only meat he can taste. For the rest of the dishes, he relies on the “taste buds of his teammates” to make any last-minute changes in our establishments, such as whether there is a need for more spices, less spices, whether it is salty, too sweet, etc. .n.? ”
After Tremel’s alpha-gal diagnosis, his favorite foods changed to chicken taco and pizza. “So far, dairy products haven’t affected me, so the cheese is still fine.”
William Gimpel, a retired entomologist with the Maryland Department of Agriculture, was bitten some time ago by a tick in the Northern Neck of Virginia. But he was officially diagnosed with alpha-gal syndrome until six years ago.
Gimpel’s allergic reaction to red meat was severe. He said in an email: “I developed hives, fainted, my blood pressure dropped and I told my wife on the way to the emergency room that I could not see. That was my most serious reaction. “
The tick population is thriving. Is climate change to blame?
Gimpel was initially told he was allergic to beef. So he dined on pork, lamb and venison for several years. He then had an allergic reaction to pork, and three months later he reacted weakly of lamb. Finally, he found an allergist who correctly diagnosed his condition as alpha-gal syndrome.
Gimpel remains optimistic despite his allergies. He wrote: “The best news is that I eat all non-red meats, including chicken, turkey, fish, crabs and other mussels!”
Not all lone star tick bites cause alpha-gal syndrome. I was bitten last month in the DC area, but I haven’t developed a red meat allergy … yet. In fact, I was bitten by more than a dozen lone star ticks.
The increase in ticks may be due to higher temperatures during the seasons. Michael Raup, Honorary Professor of Entomology at the University of Maryland, said warmer temperatures in winter allow more ticks to survive the usually harsh season. The mild weather in autumn, winter and spring also allows them to actively search for hosts for longer periods, which increases their chances of survival. In addition, Raup said, increasing the number of tick-eating animals, such as white-tailed deer, also helps increase the tick population.
In addition to alpha gal, single star ticks transmit diseases, including southern tick-related rash disease (STARI), which causes rash, fever, fatigue, and muscle and joint pain, and ehrlichiosis, which causes flu-like symptoms, incl. headache, joint and muscle pain, fever and fatigue.
The female single star tick has a white spot on its back, but the male does not, making it more difficult to identify. However, the solitary star tick has a different shape from the dog tick and is much larger than the deer tick (see photo above).
However, if you have alpha-gal syndrome, genetically modified meat may be an option. Recently, pigs have been genetically modified to remove alpha-gal sugars so that their organs can be transplanted to people with a lower chance of rejection. The rest of the meat can be used as food for people with alpha-gal syndrome.
One company, Revivicor, mailed packages of its alpha galaxy-free pork to people with the syndrome. It seems that the meat does not cause an allergic reaction.
In December 2020, the Food and Drug Administration approved the genomic change of pigs for food and cosmetics for humans, so that there may be a future for the sale of alpha-free meat to people with the syndrome.
Maybe one day Tremel can prepare pork ribs on a barbecue for a competition and make his own taste test. And then eat the leftovers.
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