The recent hot weather has reawakened our ticks, and one type in particular is becoming more common in the DC area: the lone star tick. A bite from this tick, which is easily recognized by the white spot on its back if it is female, can cause a lifelong adverse reaction to eating red meat. The solitary star tick originated in the southern states, but spread north and west to cover much of the eastern half of the country. With a warmer climate, more ticks survive the winter months and their range expands. Unlike black deer tick, solitary tick does not transmit Lyme disease, but can cause severe food allergies in people known as alpha-gal syndrome. which is an allergy to red meat. How to protect yourself from ticks When solitary ticks feed on mammals, such as mice, rabbits or deer, they swallow alpha-gal sugars. Later, if the ticks bite and feed on humans, they inject the 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 responds, including to the development of antibodies. Often, the bite site is swollen and itchy. But red meat, which contains alpha-sugar sugars, can cause further reactions. If red meat is consumed by people who have been bitten by the solitary tick, the immune system recognizes the alpha-gal from the meat as a foreign substance. As a result, the body exhibits a response, often much more severe than the initial response to the tick bite. Alpha-French allergy to red meat can lead to rash, hives, itching, swelling, shortness of breath, headaches, abdominal pain, diarrhea and vomiting. In severe cases, a person may suffer from anaphylaxis, a potentially fatal allergic reaction. Initially, alpha-gal syndrome was difficult to diagnose because the allergic reaction occurs many hours after ingestion of meat. In addition, allergies to red meat last a lifetime and can get worse over time.
Living with alpha-gal syndrome Keith Tremel of Edgewater, Md., Is a competitive barbecue cook who can’t eat or try his smoked beef and pork dishes. He must wear rubber gloves when handling red meat, otherwise he will break out into a rash. He contracted alpha-gal syndrome after a lone star bite five years ago and is very allergic to most of the meat he cooks. Tremel recalls the tick bite: “I was bitten by a tick on my thigh while I was sleeping. He woke me up. I pulled the tick and immediately saw the white dot. I recently read an article about alpha-gal and lone star ticks, so I recognized it right away. I would not say that 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. One week later, another hamburger caused the same rash. Later, a third hamburger led to a similar result and Tremel went to see a doctor, fearing alpha-gal syndrome. Tremel’s doctor had never heard of alpha-gal and searched for it on his laptop while Tremel waited. The diagnosis was indeed alpha-gal syndrome. “I was not comforted when I realized I knew more about alpha-gal than about a professional doctor,” he said in an email. “Before I was diagnosed, I liked bacon cheeseburgers. My wife and two kids both like bacon, and my son enjoys steak, so cooking for them can be a bit of a torture. As for the barbecue games and the catering, I am used to it now, but in the beginning it was disappointing “. Tremel and his teammates compete in the Kansas City Barbeque Society, cooking chicken, ribs, pork and brisket in 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 to our receipts, such as needing more spice, less spices, is it salty, too sweet, etc?” Following Tremel’s diagnosis, his favorite foods have changed to chicken and pizza. “So far, the dairy has not affected me, so the cheese is still okay.” William Gimpel, a retired entomologist from the Maryland Department of Agriculture, was recently bitten by a tick in the north neck of Virginia. But he was not 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 felt hives, I fainted, my blood pressure dropped and I told my wife on the way to the ER that I could not see. That was my most serious reaction. “ The tick population is booming. Is climate change to blame? Gimpel was initially told he was allergic to beef. So he ate with pork, lamb and venison for several years. Then he had an allergic reaction to pork and three months later he reacted badly in the lamb. Eventually, he found an allergist who correctly diagnosed his condition as alpha-gal syndrome. Gibbel remains optimistic despite his allergy. He wrote: “The best news is that I eat all non-red meats, such as chicken, turkey, fish, crabs and other shellfish!” Not all star tick bites cause alpha-gallon syndrome. I was bitten by someone in the DC area last month, but I’ve not developed a red meat allergy… yet. In fact, I have been bitten by more than a dozen solitary ticks. The increase in ticks can be attributed to the higher temperatures during the seasons. Michael Raupp, Emeritus Professor of Entomology at the University of Maryland, said higher winter temperatures allow more ticks to survive the usually harsh season. The mild weather in autumn, winter and spring also allows them to actively seek out hosts for longer periods, which increases their chances of survival. In addition, Raupp said, boosting tick-eating animals, such as white-tailed deer, also helps increase the tick population. In addition to alpha-gal, solitary ticks transmit diseases, including Southern Tick rash disease (STARI), which causes rash, fever, fatigue and muscle and joint pain, and helminthiasis, which cause similar symptoms. with the flu, such as headaches, joint and muscle aches, fever, and fatigue. The female solitary star tick has a white spot on its back, but the male does not, which makes 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). If you get alpha-gall syndrome, however, 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 into humans with a lower chance of rejection. The remaining meat can be used as food for people with alpha-gal syndrome. One company, Revivicor, sends alpha-gallon-packed pork packages to people with the syndrome. The meat does not seem to cause an allergic reaction. In December 2020, the Food and Drug Administration approved the genomic modification of pigs for human consumption and cosmetics, so there may be a future for selling alpha-gallon-free meat to people with the syndrome. Maybe one day, Tremel can bake pork chops for competition and do his own tasting. And then eat the leftovers.
