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Our recent warm weather has reawakened ticks, and one tick, in particular, is becoming more common in the Washington D.C. area: the lone star tick. One bite from this tick, which is easily identified by the white spot on its back if it's female, can make people have adverse reactions to eating red meat for life.
The lone star tick originated in the southern states but has spread north and west to cover much of the eastern half of the U.S. With a warming climate, more ticks survive the winter months, and their range is expanding.
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Unlike the black-legged (deer) tick, the lone star tick doesn't transmit Lyme disease, but it can produce a severe food allergy in people called alpha-gal syndrome, which is an allergy to red meat.
When lone star ticks feed on mammals, such as mice, rabbits, or deer, they ingest 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.
Primates don't have alpha-gal in their bodies. Therefore, the human immune system recognizes alpha-gal from a tick bite as a foreign substance and mounts a response, including the development of antibodies. Often, the tick bite site becomes swollen and itchy.
However, after the lone star tick bite, if red meat is eaten, which also contains alpha-gal sugars, the immune system recognizes the alpha-gal from the meat as a foreign substance. As a result, it mounts another response, often much more severe than the initial response to the tick bite.
The alpha-gal allergy to red meat can lead to a rash, hives, itching, swelling, shortness of breath, headaches, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and vomiting. With severe cases, a person may suffer anaphylaxis, a potentially fatal allergic reaction.
Initially, alpha-gal syndrome was hard to diagnose because the allergic reaction occurs many hours after eating meat. In addition, the allergy to red meat lasts a lifetime and can become worse with time.
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